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by Ebb_tide



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - High School, Friendship/Love, Homeless Harry, Hyper Louis, M/M, Shy Zayn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-06
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-03-06 09:42:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3129956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ebb_tide/pseuds/Ebb_tide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall, Zayn and Louis are all friends that are starting a new school year. When they bump into a kid named Harry, they have no idea that he's homeless. As the group become friends, Harry finds it harder to hide his secret. Will his friends still like him when they know the truth?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. chapter 1

**Niall POV**

I tried not to drop the glass of milk my mom handed me as I poked my hands through the sleeves of my new wool coat. I gulped down the milk. “Mum, I’m runnin’ late. I can’t be late on the first day of school.”

As I put the now empty glass down, she shoved a brown paper bag of lunch in my hands. She smiled. “Don’t worry sweetie you’ll get there in time.”

I held the lunch bag between my teeth as I zipped up my coat.

She frowned. “Honey, the dentist said you shouldn’t put things like that in your mouth now that you have braces.”

I picked up my book bag and slid my hands through the straps. I smiled with my lunch bag between my teeth and wrapped my green scarf around my neck. “Sure Mum, whatever. I love you. Cya after school.”

She gave me a kiss on the cheek and took the bag out of my mouth and put it in my hands. “You make a mother worry, ya know that?”

I gave her a kiss back. “That’s my job.”

I raced out of the door and felt the freezing blast of air in my face before the feeling of warm lips on my mouth. I blinked to see that the lips belonged to Zayn, my boyfriend. I smiled against his lips and pulled away quickly.

His dark eyes disappeared as they squinted into a smile. His tan skin didn’t camouflage the deep blush that was on his face.

I put my arm around his shoulders as we walked off the porch. Our school isn’t exactly homophobic, but that doesn’t mean we hold hands or kiss when we’re there. Our friends and family know we’re gay, but no one else at the school does.

Zayn and I met last year in art class. Art was his favorite class, but it was the one I liked the least. The first time that I ever talked to him was when we got put together for a group project. I liked being his partner because he was really good at drawing, but he never really spoke. When we got together to work on the project, it was almost like I was talking to myself.

As we worked together I learned that he has a social anxiety disorder. That means he’s not just shy, he’s painfully shy. In time he learned to talk to me. The first time he spoke a full sentence to me I hugged him so hard I almost broke his ribs. The more he spoke, the more hugs he got. The hugs soon turned into kisses. The kisses turned into… well we haven’t gotten passed that.

Zayn’s voice was quiet and shy. “I wanted to give you a kiss before school. I have to last a whole six hours without kissing you.”

I laughed. “How long were you on the porch?”

He sneezed. He smiled shyly as he sniffed. “Um, not that long.”

I took off my scarf and wrapped it around his neck, covering his nose and mouth. “Long enough to catch a cold?”

His sparkly black eyes squinted as he laughed, but didn’t answer.

I put my arm back around his shoulders and we ran for the bus.

We quickly hopped on and I saw Louis waving. He pointed to an empty seat across from him. Zayn scooted into the side by the window and I sat next to him. Suddenly I felt Louis’ body scoot next to me, squishing us against the window.

He smiled and his high pitched voice was way too close to my ear. “Top a the mornin’ fellas!”

I tried to push him off the seat. “This seat is made for two Louis. There’s not enough room. I can’t breathe.”

He laughed. “You don’t need to breathe, you just need to listen. I think this year is going to be my year. I just have this feeling. Mark my words, this year I’m gonna smash it.”

I noticed the bus was filling up and if I didn’t get him off our seat we would have to be squished like this the whole ride. I pushed him a little harder than I should have and he went flying back into the seat across from us.

I laughed until I realized that there was a boy sitting there that I had pushed Louis into. The boy let out a grunt as Louis’ elbow hit his face.

Louis’ voice was even higher pitched than before as he quickly apologized. “Oh my God, I’m sorry are you ok?”

The boy turned to face us. His hand was cupped over his nose, but it was hard to see his face because he had the hood of his black hoodie up. Louis, not really one to worry about social boundaries, put his arm around the boy and pulled his hood off. The boy looked at us. His green eyes locked on Louis who was now running his hands through the boy’s brown curly hair.

I tried to apologize. “I’m so sorry mate. I didn’t see ya when I pushed Louis.”

His green eyes darted to me and his voice was muffled by his hand. “S’ok. I’ve been hit harder.” He sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand and I noticed it was bleeding.

I turned to face Zayn, when I felt him put a package of tissues in my hand. Zayn’s voice was barely a whisper. I wouldn’t have heard it if I wasn’t sitting so close to him. “I think he needs these, Niall.”

I passed the tissues to Louis, who was border-line freaking out. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Is it broken? Is your nose broken?”

Before he could answer the bus monitor came up the aisle and stopped. She looked really pissed off. “What happened here?”

Louis sounded panicked. “I hit him in the nose with my elbow and then he started bleeding and then um, um…”

I interrupted before Louis started hyperventilating. “It was kind of my fault. I pushed him off the seat and that’s how he knocked into that kid.”

The monitor frowned. “There is a no horseplay policy on this bus. The four of you are going right to the principal when we get to school.”

The bus filled with a chorus of oos as the monitor walked back to her seat in the front.

Louis slid down in his seat and closed his eyes. “Well, I guess this year isn’t going to be my year. Maybe I’ll have a shot next year.”

The boy next to him mumbled. “Sorry. By the way, my name is Harry.”

Louis opened his eyes. “Don’t be sorry. I’m the one that should be apologizing. I’m Louis.” He pointed at me and Zayn. “And these are my friends Niall and Zayn.”

The bus came to an abrupt stop and everyone else left before we were allowed to leave.

We were led into a small classroom. There were no desks just chairs. The monitor sighed. “The principal will be in shortly. Just wait here.”

I sat next to Zayn. Louis pulled up two chairs across from us for him and Harry to sit in. I felt the anxiety coming off of Zayn as he bounced his leg on the floor at a rapid pace. I put my hand on his thigh to try and calm him down. His terrified eyes met mine and I gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll do all the talking for you.”

He bit his lip as he gave me half a smile, but then his gaze looked a little uneasy as it shifted to Harry. Harry still had a bloody tissue to his nose and was slightly hunched over in his chair, but he was staring at my hand on Zayn’s thigh. His green eyes were focused on my hand with so much intensity that it was almost scary.

I moved my hand off of Zayn’s leg and it seemed to snap Harry back to reality. He jumped back in his seat as his eyes shot quickly to mine and then to the ground as he pressed the tissue harder against his nose.

Louis reacted to Harry’s sudden movement. “You should probably be at the nurse’s office.”

Harry moved the tissue from his nose. “I’m ok. I think it stopped bleeding.”

Louis leaned his head against Harry’s shoulder. Harry flinched, but didn’t move away.

We sat in awkward silence until the principal came in. Principal Graham walked over to our group and we all stood. He addressed Harry. “I hear that there was an incident on the bus?”

Harry’s voice was hoarse and shaky. “No sir, I mean yes sir, but it’s ok. It was just an accident. I’m ok. I’m not hurt.”

The principal sighed. “It’s day one, so I’ll be generous with your punishment. You are all suspended from the bus for two weeks. Now I don’t want to see any more problems out of any of you. Is that clear?”

We all nodded.

After the principal left, I faced everyone. “I’ll call my mum. She can drop everyone home.”

Louis and Zayn agreed, but Harry shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m cool.”

Before I could answer, he flipped up the hood on his hoodie and quickly raced through the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the first chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

**Louis POV**

I stuffed the ham and cheese sandwich into my mouth as I took another bite. I looked around the cafeteria and focused back on Zayn and Niall, who were sitting across for me. I frowned. “I just don’t know where that kid came from.”

Niall chewed on a powdered donut. When he spoke powder flew in my direction. “He’s probably a freshman, that’s why we’ve never seen him.”

I pouted my lip out. “Harry’s a weird name.”

Niall laughed. “Not any weirder than Niall or Zayn.”

I smirked. “You’re right. You’re all weird and I’m the only normal one here.”

Niall snorted. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

I looked at Zayn and shouted. “I’m normal, right?”

Zayn’s eyes grew to twice their size and he grabbed Niall’s hand. I probably scared him pretty bad for him to hold Niall’s hand in the crowded cafeteria. He he quickly dropped Niall’s hand and lowered his head to look at the table. I winced. “Sorry. Don’t scream in Zayn’s face. I forgot.”

Zayn was still looking at the table a little shaken. I sighed. “Can’t seem to do anything right today.”

Zayn slowly looked up at me and spoke softly. “No… it’s ok.” He tried to give me a smile to make me feel better, but it made me feel kinda worse.

Niall flicked a potato chip in my face.

I frowned. “Do you ever go a day without eating something with potatoes in it?”

Niall was about to answer, but his eyes shifted to the far side of the cafeteria. I followed his gaze and saw Harry sitting there. He was sitting at a table with some other freshman, but he wasn’t paying attention to them. He wasn’t eating either. Instead he had his head buried deep in a book. His eyes were burning through the pages with so much concentration that I though the book was going to catch fire. I squinted to read the title from the spine of the book, but I was too far away.

I looked back at Niall with my most innocent face.

Niall shook his head. “No Louis. I know what you’re thinkin’ and the answer is no. We are not nviting’ him over here. We’ve done enough damage on the bus. Let’s just leave the kid alone.”

I frowned. “You can’t stop me from going over there.”

The sound of a loud bell filled the lunchroom and Niall smirked. “Maybe I can’t, but that bell can. C’mon we’re going to be late to class.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Niall POV**

I quickly took my seat and cringed when I looked that the Math equations on the board. This was the first day of school. We shouldn’t have to do any work. I smiled as Zayn took the seat next to me. He looked at the board and sighed and then looked back at me.

I smiled. Zayn and I both hate Math. I hate it because like most subjects in school, I’m just not that good at it. Zayn hates it because he’s extremely right-brained. This makes him an amazing artist, but a pretty bad mathematician.

Louis slid into the seat behind me. My Mum is the head of the PTA so she had the power to give Zayn, Louis and I the same schedules. This seemed like a good idea when I thought about Zayn being next to me all day. As Louis kicked my seat from behind me, I began to wonder if it was a good idea after all.

The teacher approached us. She was wearing a dark blue shirt and a black skirt. Her hair was long and brown, and matched her eyes.

I turned to Louis and whispered. “What did you do?”

Louis held up his hands in surrender. “Nothing mate, honest. I just got here.”

I turned back as the teacher spoke to me. “My name is Mrs. Martin. I will be your Math teacher this year. I just wanted to let you boys know that I’m offering extra credit if you want to participate.”

I smiled. “Sure. What do we have to do?”

Louis cut it. “Wait, we won’t agree to it before you tell us what it is that we’ll be doing. You may be signing us up for something horrible.”

The teacher looked puzzled. “I surely wouldn’t do that.”

She handed me a piece of paper and smiled. “There are many new freshmen in the school and we need some upperclassmen to mentor them. This is usually something that the seniors and juniors do, but we don’t seem to have a lot of volunteers this year. If you are interested in mentoring one of these students I can give you five points extra on your final grade.”

Louis ripped the paper from my hands and his eyes frantically scanned the paper. I glanced down at it and saw that there was a list of names written on it. I can only imagine what name Louis was searching for. He looked up. He must have found it.

He smiled almost psychotically at Mrs. Martin. “Zayn, Niall, and I will mentor this freshman.” He circled a name on the list. The teacher took it away before I could read it. She looked puzzled again. “Well, the extra credit was really for you each to mentor an individual student.”

I felt Zayn shiver next to me. Louis continued smiling. “Nonsense, because we are three people we will mentor this young freshman with all of our skills. We will show him the ins and outs of the school. We’ll let him sit with us at lunch and we’ll take him to the all the finest parties.”

Mrs. Martin raised an eyebrow. “Parties?”

Louis nodded. “All the best for our mentoree. We will accept him like he’s our brother.”

She smiled. “Well… ok. Now what are your names?”

I smiled. “I’m Niall Horan.” I pointed next to me. “This is Zayn Malik.” I pointed behind me. “And this fool is Louis Tomlinson.”

She wrote our names down and smiled. “Thank you boys for participating.”

As she walked away I turned to face Louis. “So I’m guessing we’re mentoring Harry?”

Louis nodded. “His name is Harry Styles and he’s going to be our new friend.”

I laughed. “You can’t force a friendship.”

Louis grinned. “I’m not. It’s fate that’s bringing us together.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, I’m just in it for the five points.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Harry POV**

I know I should be paying attention in class, but I can’t stop think about the punishment from the principal. He might not have thought it was that bad, but for me it was. I look forward to the warm bus rides to and from school. A warm bus is so much better than walking to school in the cold streets. There is no way I can call my dad to pick me up. Even if I did call him, I would never ask him to take me home… I don’t have a home.

After my Mum died from cancer, my dad was all that I had left in the world. My dad was never nice to me, but after Mum died he became… something different.

Ever since I was little, he would yell at me and call me stupid and worthless. He didn’t start hitting me until I was eleven.  I remember one time when he got really drunk and staggered home. I was in bed with a fever and Mum was at my bedside taking care of me. For some reason this enraged my dad and he started to beat her. I tried to get in between the two, and his punches fell on me instead of her.

That was the first time he hit me, but it soon became a habit. In fact it became his favorite habit. My Mum helped me hide the bruises and somehow we were managing. When she died everything changed. It was almost like she was my referee and without her, he had the liberty to hit me and not stop.

The day after my Mum’s funeral he beat me unconscious. Two days later he choked me. I knew he was going to kill me, so I pretended to pass out. When he left, I went to the hospital and convinced the doctors I had been mugged. I think the doctors suspected something was wrong when I didn’t want to fill out a police report, but they couldn’t force me.

I wasn’t safe at home, so I moved out. I didn’t have any family or friends, so I stayed under a bridge downtown. The first night it was so cold and I was so alone I thought I was going to freeze to death. I’ve been living on the streets for five months now. I’m not technically homeless, because I can go back to my house. I go back once a week. Just for an hour or two, to wash my clothes or take a shower or if it’s just too cold, but he’s always there… he always hits me… because I’m worthless.

I know I should tell the police, but he’s my father. Besides, my mum knew he was beating me and did nothing to stop it, so maybe I deserve it.

So I spend my night’s sleeping under a bridge trying not to freeze. No one knows. I’ll never tell anyone. If anyone finds out they’ll know that I’m so worthless that even my dad doesn’t love me. Why would anyone want to be kind to me if my own father hates me? So this is my secret. This will always be my secret.

I bit my lip trying to focus on class, but I couldn’t. I tried to listen to the teacher’s voice, but I couldn’t. All I could hear was the sound of cars whizzing by, racing over the bridge. All I could feel was the cold wind blowing in my face as I had the long cold walk back to the bridge to look forward to. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Louis POV**

The final bell hand just rung and me and my two friends were walking through the crowded hallway. School had just ended and we were headed out to meet Niall’s mum in the parking lot. I was trying to loop my arm around Zayn’s, but he kept inching away. I frowned. “I’m starting to think you don’t like me.”

Zayn looked at me. “I don’t know how to mentor someone. I don’t think I’ll be able to talk to him. Maybe Mrs. Martin should give just you and Niall the extra credit.”

I threw my arm around his shoulder. “Don’t be silly. Harry is so easy to talk to.”

Niall laughed. “And ya know this how? By the two sentences you’ve said to him in your entire life.”

I sighed. “I just have a sense for these kinds of things.” I pulled Zayn in close to me. “Now help me find Harry. We need to tell him the good news.”

Zayn smiled. “If he thinks you’re stalking him, he’s not going to like you.”

I craned my neck to look around. “If he likes you guys, he’ll like me by association. You know, friend of a friend.”

Zayn smirked. “Like how you became my friend, since you were Niall’s friend first?”

I patted his head. “That’s right little one.”

He knocked my hand away. “I may be shy, but I’m not a child Louis.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you yelling at me?”

He blushed. “Um… no.”

I put my arm back around his shoulders. “So close. One day I’ll get you to yell at me.”

Niall laughed. “If he’s gonna yell at anyone, it’s gonna be you.”

Zayn stopped walking and pointed. “There. I think that’s Harry, by the toilets.”

I squinted. “You’re right. We need to stop him before he gets in there.”

As we ran toward him Niall questioned me. “Why do we have to stop him? We’re all guys. We can go in there with him.”

I shook my head. “No. It’s weird having a serious conversation in there.”

Just as Harry was pushing the door I shouted his name. “Harry?”

He turned to look at the three of us and waited as we walked up to him.

I was slightly out of breath from running, but tried to talk normally. “So Harry, how are you?”

He looked at us a little apprehensively. “M’ok. You?”

I smiled. “Good, good. We’re all good. So, whatcha doing? Are you busy?”

He looked at the Men’s room door and then back at us. He bit his lip and paused as if he were thinking of the right thing to say.

Before he could speak I grabbed his hand. “You don’t want to go in there.”

I tried to pull him away, but he tugged against my grip. “Um, actually I kinda do want to go in there.”

I gave his arm a firm tug and he stumbled forward. Somehow he lost his footing and fell to the floor on his hands and knees. I offered a hand to help him up, but he got up himself. He took a deep breath. “Do you hate me or something?”

The question was really valid considering this was the second time today that I had caused him a great deal of pain.

Thankfully Niall came to my rescue. He sighed. “Don’t worry about Louis. This is him trying to be friendly.”

Harry looked from Niall to me and smirked. “I hate to see what you do to people that you don’t like.”

I glared at Niall. He wasn’t really helping on the ‘convincing Harry to be my friend’ plan. I decided to start again like none of this happened. I smiled. “Hi Harry, are you busy?”

He looked at me with a great deal of confusion. “Um, I was just gonna go use the toilet, but um…”He bit his lip. “Actually I think you need to tell me something. If I let you tell me, will you leave me alone?”

I nodded. “Absolutely.” I slung my arm around his shoulders as we all walked toward the back doors. “So Harry, this is your lucky day. You have been selected to be mentored by me, Niall, and Zayn.”

He looked puzzled. “What does that mean?”

I gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. He flinched. I don’t blame him. With our track record I’m surprised his shoulder didn’t spontaneously dislocate. Nonetheless, I continued. “That means we will show you all there is to see and do at the school. We will make this freshman year the best year of your life.”

I pushed the back door open and the freezing air blasted me in the face. We all headed in the direction of Niall’s mother’s car. “So. Harry, are you getting a ride home with your mum?”

He tensed under my arm. His voice was soft. “My Mum died a few months ago.”

If I had the flexibility to kick myself in the head, I probably would have. I apologized for the millionth time today. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

He shrugged. “S’ok. I’m just gonna walk home.”

We were close enough for Niall’s mother to hear. Her Irish accent was thick as she frowned. “No one’s walkin’ home in this cold. I’m taking all of ya boys to my house for some snacks and then I’ll drop ya home.”

Harry smiled. “Are you my mentor too, Ma’am?”

She smiled. “I don’t know what yer talkin’ about, but if it involves ya getting in this car then yes.”

Niall got in the front seat. Harry, Zayn and I squeezed into the back. Zayn and Harry got the window seats, with me in the middle.

Niall’s mum pulled out of the parking lot and sped down the street. As she pulled onto the highway she smiled at Niall. “So who’s your new friend?”

Niall laughed. “He’s the guy that got us bus suspension.”

She looked at the three of us through the rearview mirror. Harry put his hand on the door handle. Niall’s mum smiled. “I wouldn’t open the door now, Honey. If you jump out now yer gonna roll down the highway. Besides, if I were a bettin’ woman, I would put money on the bus suspension really being Louis’ fault.”

Niall laughed. “Yeah, Ma. It actually was Louis’ fault.”

That seemed to be enough to keep Harry from jumping out of the moving vehicle. The ride to Niall’s house was pretty uneventful after that.


	6. Chapter 6

**Niall POV**

We walked into my house and the smell of baking potatoes filled the air. I smiled when I saw a plate of homemade potato puffs sitting on a dish on the kitchen table. Louis hugged my mum and ran over to take some. I turned to Harry, who was just standing in the doorway.

I smiled. “You can come in ya know.”

He gave me an embarrassed smile and stepped inside. His eyes looked a little more urgent as he walked up to me. He put his hands in his pockets and bit his lip, “Is it ok if I use the toilet here before Louis stops me?”

I laughed. “Sure mate. It’s right down the hall.”

He smiled and quickly headed down the hallway.

Louis looked up with a half-eaten potato puff in his hand. “Where’s Harry?”

I sat down and stuffed a puff in my mouth. “Geez Louis, he’s usin’ the toilet. Ya gotta learn to be a little less clingy.”

Louis frowned. “Making new friends takes too much effort.”

I sighed. “When he comes out, just let me do the talkin’ for a while. I mean it. Say nothing.”

Louis nodded and I shifted my attention to my boyfriend. I gave Zayn a kiss on the cheek and he giggled, but it sounded more like a squeak from one of those squeezy toys. He took one of the potato puffs and fed it to me.

Louis sighed. “I wonder if Harry and I will ever be friends.”

Zayn stopped feeding me and gave him a serious look. “Maybe if you stop hitting him he’ll like you. Plus people like it when you let them pee when they have to.”

I ruffled Zayn’s hair. “Listen to Zayn’s advice he’s a smart cookie.”

Louis frowned. “Oh, speaking of cookies. Do you have any?”

I reached in the cupboard. “Yup, Mum made some potato cookies just yesterday.”

Louis scrunched up his face. “Um, it’s nice to have a theme and all, but are all your snacks potato related?”

I opened the fridge and took out some cans of Coke. I tossed them onto the table. “There’s no potato in Coke.”

Harry returned to the table and I passed him a can of Coke. Louis smiled broadly. “Hey Harry. So how did it go?”

Harry blushed. “How did it go in the bathroom? Um… good I guess?”

I cleared my throat and Louis took the signal and stopped talking.

Harry reached for a potato puff, but pulled his hand back quickly. “Can I have one please?”

I smiled. “Yeah, help yourself.”

Zayn was playfully rubbing my thigh under the table and I was trying to ignore him.

Harry slowly chewed the potato puff. “So you all hang out at this house after school?”

I nodded. “Zayn’s house smells too much like Indian food. So we don’t hang out there.”

Zayn frowned. “Hey.”

I continued. “We tried hanging out at Louis’ house but he’s got four sisters. Four year old twins and six year old twins. Between him and the girls, that house was so loud it almost gave Zayn a stroke. He didn’t stop shaking for three days after that incident.”

Zayn tried to defend himself, but Harry was a new person and he was a little shy around him. His voice was soft. “It didn’t quite happen like that.”

Harry looked at Zayn. “You don’t like loud noises? Are you autistic?”

Zayn blushed and looked at the puff in his hand instead of Harry as he spoke. “No, I’m just really shy.”

I kept chewing. “Hey, maybe next time we can chill at your house, Harry.”

Harry’s eyes filled with panic and he starting stuttering. “I uh, that would um, we uh,… no. No, cuz my dad is um, like, really kinda strict and he doesn’t, um… no.”

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and I decided it would be best to change the subject. “So, what do you like to do for fun?”

He smiled. “I like to read. I spend a lot of time in the library. I got so involved in a book once, that the library closed and I got locked inside.”

I laughed, “How did you get out?”

He shrugged. “I just stayed there till the next morning.”

Louis’ stared at him wide-eyed. “You stayed in the library all night? Did you have to sleep on the floor like a homeless guy?”

Harry looked at the table and stared at his potato puff. “Um, no. I slept on a chair.”

Louis put his arm around Harry’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, as long as you have us as your mentors, we won’t leave you in the library. We’ll make sure that you’re not ‘homeless Harry’ again.”

I frowned. “Don’t call him homeless Harry, that’s mean.”

Harry’s eye’s looked hurt, but his voice was friendly. “Isn’t the mentoring supposed to only be at school?”

Louis looked confused. “Our mentoring will encompass your whole life, besides the library is at school.”

Harry shook his head. “No, I got locked in the public library.”

Louis’ eyes grew. “People go to the public library? I would never want to go there.”

Harry smirked. “You’ll be going there a lot if you’re going to encompass my whole life.”

Surprisingly Louis managed not to say anything offensive or inappropriate for the rest of the conversation. That continued as we all sat on the couch to watch a movie. Zayn wanted to see Godzilla and since Zayn’s my boyfriend, he gets whatever he wants.

After the movie ended, mum had us all pile back into the car. I didn’t need to go for the ride, but I was kind of curious to see where Harry lived.

Mum dropped off Louis first. When he rang the doorbell, four little girls came running out and almost knocked him down with hugs. He waved back at us as he was dragged into the house by his little sisters.

Zayn was the next to be dropped off. I wanted to give him a kiss goodbye, but we hadn’t exactly told Harry that we’re gay. Zayn gave me a wave and a smile before he disappeared into his house. Mum went inside to talk to Zayn’s mum, leaving Harry and I to talk in the car.

Harry turned from the passenger seat to face me. “If it’s ok with you I would rather walk home from here.” His eyes were filled with anxiety and he put his hand on the door handle, ready to bolt outside. I nodded. “Before ya go, I’d like to apologize about the bus. I didn’t mean for ya to get hurt.”

Harry removed his hand from the door handle and smiled. “It’s ok. If that hadn’t happened I would’ve never met you guys. We never would’ve become friends.”

I laughed. “I think you can do better than us in the friend department.”

Harry shook his head. “You guys are my only friends.”

I laughed. “Well that’s sad.”

Harry blinked. “It’s true though.”

I felt really bad when I realized that he wasn’t joking. He seems like a nice guy. I don’t know too much about him, but the things I do know make me think he wouldn’t be completely friendless. I wondered out loud. “Is there some dark secret that scares people away?”

Harry’s eyes went from mine to the seat as he bit his lip. “It’s not me that scares them away. It’s my dad. At least that’s how it was when I was younger. When my friends would come over to play he would scare them away. He’s got a temper and he drinks a little too much. After a while I just stopped making friends, cuz I just kept losing them.”

I waited until Harry looked at me. “Is that why you don’t want Mum to drop ya home?”

His eyes looked cautiously at me. There was another secret hidden in them. As his eyes stayed locked onto mine I could tell he wanted to tell me. His green eyes were clouded with so much conflict that it looked like he was going to burst into tears right there in the car.

I decided to offer the first olive branch of friendship and hoped that he would follow. “I know how hard it is to keep a secret that ya don’t want anyone to know.”

His eyes filled with tears, but he was still managing to blink them back. I continued. “Zayn’s my boyfriend. Only our good friends and family know. I don’t really care if people know, but Zayn is really shy. I don’t think he could handle everyone at school staring at him or talking behind his back.”

Harry stayed really quiet.

I sighed. “I know it’s kinda weird, but um… are you cool with it?”

Harry looked at me. The tears in his eyes were still there but he was smirking. “I don’t have a problem with it. All of my friends are gay.”

I laughed. “I don’t think Louis is.”

He smiled. “That’s surprising.”

I laughed harder. “To you and me both.”

We both had good, long laugh. As he wiped his eyes, I wasn’t sure if the tears were from laughter or the unshed leftovers from before. I didn’t want to kill the now happy mood, but I wanted him to know I was trustworthy. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Is there a secret you want to tell me?”

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. Before he could say anything else Mum opened the car door. Harry looked a little panicked when she spoke. “So, honey. Where do ya live?”

He faced the front in his seat and I couldn’t see his eyes anymore, but his voice was enough to gauge his panic. “Um… I live at, uh, 323 Chester Street.”

My mum’s voice was tense. “Ok, Sweetie. When we get to Bakersfield, ya can guide me from there. I don’t go to Chester Street that often.”

That was an understatement. Chester Street is one of the poorest neighborhoods in our whole town. Not only is it a rundown area of town, it’s also pretty dangerous.

Harry spoke quickly. “It’s ok ma’am. I can walk. It’s not far.”

Mum sounded stern. “Nonsense. It’s too cold out there to walk. I’m dropping you off and that’s that.”

When we got to Bakersfield, Harry instructed mum the rest of the way. As we turned down the shadier neighborhoods, mum pressed the automatic lock button for all the doors. As the sound echoed through the quiet car she gasped. “Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend ya. I just always lock my doors when I go through this neighborhood.”

Harry’s voice was small. “S’ok.”

I started to wonder if this was the secret he was hiding from me. Having a jerk father and living in poverty is something that would prevent anyone from having friends. I looked at Harry’s reflection in the side view mirror. His face was red and I could tell he was really embarrassed. His eyes caught mine in the mirror and he quickly looked away.

We pulled up to a really rundown house that had the numbers 323 on the front. Harry thanked my mom as she pressed the button to unlock the doors. Before he left the car, he looked back and halfheartedly smiled at me. He looked really relived when he spoke, but I’m not sure why. “My dad’s not home yet, so I’m just going to let myself in. I’ll cya at school tomorrow.”

I nodded and watched as he walked to the front door. He turned the key in the lock and gave the door a kick before it opened. He waved before he closed the door behind him.

My mom pressed the automatic lock button quickly and we drove away as quickly as possible. I turned to look at his house in the distance. I could have sworn I saw him locking the front door behind him and walking, with his hoodie up and his hands in his pockets, away from his house. I closed my eyes and tried to refocus. By that time, the boy in the black hoodie was gone. I debated telling my mum, but judging by the way she was literally speeding out of the neighborhood, I figured maybe it’s best to just get out of here. I leaned back in my seat and told myself I was just imaging the boy walking down the cold streets.


	7. Chapter 7

**Louis POV**

I chewed on the eraser end on my pencil as I tried to concentrate on the History lesson. As Mr. Blake droned on and on about the war of who cares, I couldn’t help but let my mind become preoccupied with the present rather than the past. Niall had informed me that Harry was poor. Not just kinda poor, but really poor.

When I had seen Harry running up the stairs to class this morning, he was wearing the same black hoodie jacket with a white t-shirt under it that he wore yesterday. The hoodie was zipped almost all the way up, so it could’ve been a different white t-shirt with a completely different thing on the front, but what if it wasn’t? What if he only had one outfit?

As curious as I am to find out, I can’t just walk up to Harry and unzip his jacket every day. For one, that’s kind of stalker crazy, and for two that’s really stalker crazy. Niall has already told me that my obsession with Harry verges on unhealthy, so if I did that it may encourage Haz to take out a restraining order against me.

Another troubling thing about Harry’s jacket is how thin it is. The weather is unseasonably cold for this time of year and everyone is bundled up in sweaters and heavy coats. For some reason Harry just wears that hoodie and a t-shirt. 

The teacher asking me a question snapped me back to reality, or history, or whatever. “And what year am I looking for, Louis Tomlinson?”

I blinked. “Um, ancient Egypt?”

Mr. Blake sighed. “First of all ancient Egypt is a place not a year, and second of all World War 1 did not take place in Egypt or during the time of the ancient Egyptians.”

He scowled and walked away. I focused on Harry again. Maybe I should invite him over to hang out. We could hang out and listen to music and I could unzip his hoodie and we could have dinner and the dinner could be so much that I force him to take some home and he won’t have to starve and we can watch tv and I can slip £50 in his sad hoodie pocket and-.

Niall tapped me on the shoulder. “Louis class is over. What were ya day dreaming about?”

I sighed. “Charity.”

Niall frowned. “Look, that thing I told ya about Harry is a secret. Ya can’t let him know I told ya. He’ll never trust me again.”

I stuffed my history book into my backpack and followed Niall and Zayn out of the classroom. As we walked through the hall I did my daily scan for Harry. Most of the freshman classes are on the other side of the school, but I still searched with hopes of finding my new friend.

I spotted Harry’s curly head walking all the way down the hall. I was about to try to get his attention when I saw him go up the stairs. Niall grabbed my arm. “C’mon we’re going to be late.”

I entered the classroom, folded my hands on the desk, buried my head in them, and moaned. “Not another boring class.”

Zayn’s voice travelled from the desk next to me. “That’s kind of the point of going to school. Going to class is the main goal.”

I moaned again. “It’s not my main goal.”

I wasn’t looking forward to this class. Rumor has it that Mrs. Martin had a family emergency and will be out for the rest of the semester. Her replacement is probably some gravelly looking old man. If I didn’t have Mrs. Martin’s good looks to keep my attention, what hope did I have at paying attention in Math class at all?

I looked over at Zayn and saw that I had lost his attention already. He was drawing a picture of Godzilla on a piece of paper in his spiral notebook. He had literally just started it, but it was already better than something I could do in a lifetime.

I smiled. “That looks cool.”

Zayn looked up at me and blushed. “Thanks, Lou.”

I wish that he wasn’t still so shy around me. “Hey, you know what would be cool? You should add us to the picture. You can have me, you and Harry trying to fight Godzilla, and Niall can be, like, off to the side, eating a sandwich.”

Zayn laughed. “Yeah, I can do that.”

The teacher walked up to Zayn’s desk, and looked at the picture. “Two plus two never equals Godzilla.”

Zayn looked up at the teacher and blushed. “I-I’m sorry.”

I was so angry. Class hadn’t even started and this jerk replacement teacher was harassing Zayn. I knew that by the end of this class Niall and I would both probably have detention. I looked up at the teacher and felt the rage disappear.

The teacher was smiling at Zayn. I guess it was his attempt at making a joke. This is why teachers should never try to be funny. It’s like your Mum trying to be cool. It just doesn’t work. As I continued to look at the teacher I debated giving him a pass. He had brown hair and brown eyes like Mrs. Martin, but he looked young enough to be her son.

He smiled. “No. It’s ok, you’re not in trouble. I was just trying to be funny. I guess that didn’t work.”

The teacher looked at me, Niall, and Zayn. “Hello, I’m Liam.” He quickly blushed. “Um, I mean, I’m Mr. Payne. I’m your new Math teacher.”

I didn’t realize teachers blushed. He must have just graduated Uni because he didn’t look much older than his mid-twenties. I’m into guys , but Mr. Liam Payne is insanely attractive.

Mr. Payne turned and headed to the front of the classroom.

My mind wandered back to Harry. I need to invite him over, but I don’t know if I’ll see him later today. I’ve got to find a way to talk to him. I saw him in the hallway before, but I was too far away to get his attention. If only I wasn’t in this stupid Math class. Ok, stupid is a little harsh. Mr. Payne would be upset if he knew I thought his class was stupid.

I started to get restless and anxious. I started rocking in my seat and Niall leaned over. “Ya ok mate? You look like ya need to use the toilet.”

My eyes tripled in size. That’s perfect! I raised my hand and waved it around excitedly until I got Mr. Payne’s attention. I was already getting up from my seat as I spoke. “Mr. Payne. I really have to pee so bad. I mean, like, an emergency. I can’t hold it. Can I please go?”

This produced the second blush of the day from the teacher. “Um, yes. Yes, of course. Just quickly tell me your name so I can put it down in the attendance book.”

I answered him as I raced out of the door. “Louis Tomlinson.”

As I walked down the hallway I said a mental thank you to Niall for inspiring my plan. I walked to the staircase that I saw Harry ascend earlier and took a quick scan of the students in each of the classrooms I passed.

About halfway down the hall I spotted Harry sitting in the front row of a Science class. My plan was to wait until class was over and just casually talk to him, but I must have lingered too long by the doorway and I got the attention of the teacher.

When I realized she noticed me, my eyes shifted from Harry to her. She gave me a puzzled looked. “Can I help you?”

Crap. C’mon Louis, think fast. My mouth started talking before my brain had a chance to catch up with it. “Yes, I’m here to speak with Harry Styles. I’m here on business as his mentor.”

For some reason the teacher addressed me like I actually had official business with him. “Yes, that’s not a problem. Harry, there is someone here who would like to speak to you.”

Harry gave me a questioning look and started packing up his things. I tried not to laugh, it would ruin the realism. “That’s all right Harry. Leave your things. This will only take a minute.”

Harry stepped out of the classroom to meet me in the hallway. I positioned myself a few steps away from the door so the class inside couldn’t see us.

Harry’s green eyes shined with concern. “What’s wrong, Lou?”

That’s kind of cool. He never called me Lou before. I smiled. “So you want to come over my house after school to hang out?”

His eyes grew wide and he smiled so hard that I thought his face was going to explode. “You called me out of class for that?”

I wasn’t quite sure if he was happy or not so I answered tentatively. “Yes?”

He started laughing. I glanced at the open classroom door and hoped that they couldn’t hear. He must have noticed my quick glance and he bit his lip trying to stop.

He took a deep breath. “You’re really taking this mentoring thing pretty seriously.”

I nodded, still unable to gauge if he was happy with my hijinks or not.

He smiled. “Since it’s official mentoring business I can’t say no, right?”

I was feeling a bit more relived. “Right. You can come over my house at 6. Do you need a ride?”

Harry shook his head. “No, I’ll… um, I’ll get a ride from my dad.” Something in his voice told me that he was lying, but he agreed to come over so I didn’t want to press the issue.

I took my phone from my pocket. “Cool. I’ll text you directions to my house. What’s your number?”

He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and shifted uneasily. “Um, I left my phone at home. But don’t worry, I saw where Niall’s mum dropped you off yesterday. I know how to get to your house. I’ll cya there.”

I wonder why he doesn’t want to give me his phone number? He left his phone, not his phone number at home. Before I could ask, he was back in the classroom and sitting attentively at his desk.

I walked away thinking about the awesome time Harry and I would have at my house tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can only post so many chapters today so I'll be uploading the rest soon. I hope you enjoy my little story so far. Please let me know what you think :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Niall POV**

Louis’ a weird guy, but leaving class like that was strange, even for him. I have a feeling it has to do with Harry, but I don’t have time to worry about that. Math is my worst subject and I really have to focus.

I watched Mr. Payne walk behind the desk and smile. “Good morning class. I hope we will have a productive year and that you will all learn a lot.”

He turned to the blackboard, with a piece of chalk in his hand, and started writing an equation. “Math is about more than just equations and numbers. It’s about problem solving. If you approach any equation without a plan to solve it, you will never get a correct answer. If you have any problems that I can help you with, mathwise or otherwise, let me know and I’ll be glad to help.”

One of the girls from the back of the room called out. “Come to prom with me.”

Mr. Payne turned away from the equation he was writing on the board and smiled. “Preferably problems that will not get me fired or arrested.”

The class laughed along with him and he turned back to the board to continue writing.

I copied the long equation filled with x’s, y’s, and numbers into my notebook. I looked up when I heard sniffing next to me. Zayn was looking at his phone in his lap, hidden from the teachers view, and he was crying.

I didn’t know what to do. We were in the back so no one seemed to notice, but me. I leaned over to get his attention. “Zayn, what’s wrong? What happened?”

He looked at me. His eyes were red and tears were sliding down his face. He shook his head and made a small whimpering sound before looking back at his phone. I couldn’t see what was on the phone’s screen, but whatever it said had upset him.

He continued to stare at the phone and I watched as his shoulders went up and down as he continued to cry harder.

I didn’t want to draw attention and embarrass him, but I didn’t know what was wrong and I was starting to panic.

Mr. Payne was continuing to lecture. “In this problem the coefficient is five. If we start multiplying the numbers outside of the parenthesis first and then-.”

He stopped when his eyes rested on Zayn crying. He cleared his throat. “So, um, start with the parenthesis first and go from there. I’ll let you all work independently on the problem and call me over if you need help.”

Everyone started scribbling their answers as Mr. Payne walked around the class. He casually walked over to Zayn and I, but his face was filled with concern. He knelt down in front of Zayn’s desk and whispered so no one else could hear. “Are you alright?”

Zayn tried to talk in between sobs. “I… think… I… have… a… problem.”

At this point Zayn was almost hyperventilating. He tilted his phone to show Mr. Payne and the teacher nodded. “Ok, just put your head down for the rest of the class and relax. Stay after class and we can talk, ok?”

Zayn bit his lip and nodded. He put his hands on the desk and buried his head in them and cried softly. I tried to pay attention for the rest of class, but it was almost impossible. I looked up as Louis came back through the door. He sat down and raised an eyebrow at me when he saw Zayn with his head on the desk. I shrugged. “Mr. Payne said for him to stay after class, but I don’t know what’s wrong.” I tried to stay calm, but my voice was shaking.

Mercifully before I knew it the bell rang loudly, signifying the end of class. All the students filed out of the classroom except Zayn, Louis, and me. Louis scooted his chair next to Zayn, and I had my hands on Zayn’s shoulders. I gently massaged them as I tried to calm him. He had been crying the whole class and he was probably giving himself a headache by now.

Mr. Payne walked over to us and sat on the desk in front of us with his feet on the chair. Zayn sat up and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. His voice was scratchy. “I can’t do it.”

I looked at Mr. Payne, hoping he knew what Zayn was talking about. Mr. Payne nodded and looked at me. “Zayn’s father texted him and told him that he hurt his back. He doesn’t have the money to hire someone to help at the shop, so he needs Zayn to work with him on the weekends for a while.”

Zayn sniffed. “I can’t do it Niall. I have to talk to people. What if he has me working the register?” He put his hands over his eyes and started crying again.

I rubbed his back. Even though this didn’t seem like anything I would get upset about, I knew it was painful for Zayn. His dad was the manager of a small, organic supermarket in the center of town. It wasn’t a massive business, but there were a lot of customers that came through there every day.

Mr. Payne looked at me and whispered. “Why is this a problem?”

I whispered back. “He has social anxiety.”

At this point Zayn was breathing so fast that he couldn’t have been getting air. I hugged him from behind and tried to get him to stop shaking. “It’s ok baby. I’m here. Just breathe. Everything is gonna be ok.”

We all sat in the classroom until Zayn was calm. Louis and Mr. Payne left so that Zayn and I could talk.

Zayn’s voice sounded so small in the empty classroom. “Do you really think I can do this?”

I gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’ll be fine. I bet in a few weeks you’ll look back and wonder why you were such a drama queen about it.”

Zayn smiled and swatted me on the arm. “Yeah, I doubt that.” We were already late to the next class so I held him as long as needed.

I put my arm around his shoulders as we walked to our next class.


	9. Chapter 9

**Harry POV**

As I walked down the street I had my hands in my pockets to try and keep warm. I was on my way to Louis’ house and I was freezing. In class they mentioned a cold front with snow coming in. This wasn’t something I planned for. It’s my first winter on the streets and I’m more than a little nervous. If it was a weekday, I might have been able to sneak in the house and stay for a while before my father got out of work, but it’s Friday. My father is home all day on the weekends, so I’m left with a choice. Either I choose the warmth of a house and the brutal attack from my father that comes with it, or I try to keep from freezing to death under the bridge. I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but I have time. The snow is coming on Sunday.

I reached Louis’ porch and rang the doorbell. When no one answered I looked at my watch. It was 3:45 and he said to come over at six. There was no car in the driveway, so I guess I just beat him home.

I sat on the concrete ground of the porch and leaned against the house. I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I yawned and put my forehead against my knees. I closed my eyes. I’m just so tired in so many ways. Maybe if I just close my eyes, just for a minute, I can forget all my problems. Like many times before this, I closed my eyes and fell asleep in the cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the support for this story. This is the last of the short chapters. Chapter 10 and 11 are really long and I will post chapter 10 on Monday and 11 on Tuesday. Harry has mentioned his abusive father in earlier chapters, but chapter 11 has a pretty descriptive section about the abuse. I'm going to add a warning in case this is a trigger for certain people reading. Thanks again for the kudos, hits, and comments. They mean the world to me :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Louis POV**

I tapped my hands on the steering wheel as I waited for my sisters to come out of school. I took a glance at the preschool and sighed. Fridays are always hectic. We only have one car, so mom comes to pick me up at school. We then head over to the hospital and she starts work during the afternoon shift. I take the car to pick up the twins from preschool and then the older ones at the primary school. Most people know me as wild and crazy Louis, but when it comes to my sisters I always put on my responsible hat. There’s nothing in this world more important to me than my family. 

I smiled as I saw the teacher’s aide leading my little munchkins toward the car. They were each holding her hand, but when they saw me in the car, they came running like that hadn’t seen me in days. I got out of the car and opened the back door. By the time I did that, they had reached me and grabbed onto each of my legs giggling. I tried to balance myself so I wouldn’t fall down as they screamed. “Louis, Louis, Louis!”

I smiled. “I missed you too.”

I tried to pry them off of my legs as they continued to chant my name. I looked up at the aide and laughed. “Can I get a little help here, please?”

She laughed as she got the younger twin, Daisy, to let go of my leg. “Girls, I think your brother needs his legs to drive.”

Daisy giggled and unzipped her backpack. “Louis, Louis, I drew you a picture.”

I looked at the picture and knew from prior experience not to try and guess what it was. I smiled as I lifted the older twin, Phoebe, into the car and buckled her seatbelt. “That’s so pretty, what is it?”

Daisy squeaked as I lifted her, picture and all, into the car. “It’s a pony.”

I laughed. That’s actually what I was going to guess. Maybe she’s getting better at the art thing. I should probably get her an art set for her birthday.

When I had the girls buckled into the back I turned to the aide and smiled. “Thanks for the help. These two can be so hyper.”

The aide smirked. “I can’t image where they learned that from.” I guess I’m not as ‘responsible Louis’ as I thought I was.

I drove to the primary school as the two tried to tell me how their day was in the loudest way possible. I said yes and ok in all the right spots until we pulled up to the primary school. I had told the older set of twins, Fizzy and Lottie, to always stay inside of the school until I pull up. I got out of the car and waved at the front door and the two ran out of the school and over to the car. They were wearing their school uniforms. With their white shirts, blue blazers, and blue plaid skirts on, they looked completely identical. They even had their hair styled in the same two braids with ribbons on the end.

When they got to the car it was easier to see the slight differences that I couldn’t see from a distance. Lottie jumped into the front seat and Fizzy hopped into the back, next to her younger sisters.

As I drove I briefed the girls. “My friend Harry is coming over later tonight. I want you to be nice.”

Lottie turned on the radio and I looked at the clock. It was only 5:30. I still had time before Harry got to the house. The car was instantly filled with cartoon soundtrack music and all four girls and I sang along at the top of our lungs.

When we pulled up to the house I marched up the walkway with my sisters, each holding the other twin’s hand. As I stopped at the porch I saw something shocking. A boy in a black hoodie was sleeping on the ground. He still had his black backpack on. His knees were to his chest and his arms were wrapped around them. His head was buried in his arms and his hood was pulled up, obscuring his face, but I knew it was Harry.

I shook him. “Harry? Why are you sleeping outside?”

He didn’t answer.

I yelled. “Harry?! Oh my God are you dead?!”

The girls heard me panicking and started screaming Harry’s name as well. At this point I’m sure all of the neighbors could hear us, and thankfully Harry did too. He lifted his head and he looked at me. His eyes were still sleepy and unfocused. He blinked at me and I was stuck in a trance as I looked into his gorgeous green eyes. He smiled shyly. His cheeks were pink, but I’m not sure if that was from taking an outside nap in the freezing cold, or because he was blushing. His voice was gravelly, like someone who had been asleep for a while. Please don’t tell me that poor Harry was out here waiting for me, freezing his butt off in the process. “I’m sorry Lou. I guess I feel asleep.”

He still seemed groggy. I put my hand on his forehead and his cheek. His face turned a deep shade of pink. His skin was cold to the touch. I frowned. “You’re freezing. You could have hyperthermia.”

He laughed. “Do you still get the points added to your grade for being a mentor if I die?”

I frowned. “I didn’t want to be your mentor just for the points. By the way how do you know about that? Did Niall tell you?”

Harry slowly stood up. “No, I just guessed. No one would want to help someone like me without some kind of reward.”

I laughed, but noticed that Harry didn’t. I wonder if Harry’s self-esteem is that low. As I searched my pockets for the house key I heard Daisy squeal. “Hi Harry, I’m Daisy!”

By the time I opened the door, each of my sisters had introduced themselves with their ages, favorite colors, and favorite foods. As we stepped in the door I saw Harry smiling at the girls so hard that I could see the dimples on his cheeks. They had officially charmed him.

Lottie screamed. “Harry, let’s have a princess pony tea party!”

I frowned. “Stop screaming. What did I say about inside voices? All of you, go into the bathroom and wash your hands. I’ll put out some cookies in the kitchen.”

They all squealed as they ran off in the same direction.

I put out the milk and cookies as Harry followed. He sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and sat his backpack next to him. I sighed. “I wish you called me before you decided to wait outside. I would have told you to take the keys from under the welcome mat and let yourself in.”

I saw him rub his cold hands together, but he quickly stopped when he saw I was looking at him. He gave me a lopsided smile. “I would have just walked in your house, without you here?”

I started eating a cookie and he did the same after asking permission.

I smiled. “You’re the most polite friend I have. Niall just grabs food off of my plate.”

Harry’s eyes looked back at me with an intensity. “We’re friends, Lou?”

I nodded. “I want you to think of me as more than a mentor.”

He laughed. “I don’t really think of you as a mentor. When I do, it makes me remember how crazy stalker you can get.”

My jaw dropped. I tried to sound upset, but I was laughing. “You think I’m a stalker? Is that why you won’t give me your phone number?”

Harry blinked. “I don’t have a phone.”

He looked so serious. He looked like he was going to tell me a deep dark secret. He actually looked a little tormented.

I tried to lighten the mood. “If you had a phone you could’ve called me. You wouldn’t have had to sit outside of my house like some dirty homeless guy. So, why don’t you have a phone?”

Harry twitched and looked down. He didn’t look me in the eyes, instead he stared at the cookie in his hand. “I… um, had to break my contract with my phone company and I didn’t want to pay the termination fee.”

The girls piled into the room and their little hands reached for cookies, quickly leaving the plate empty.

Harry was really good with my sisters. He had them laughing and cheering and screaming for the next hour. Eventually it was time to get the girls ready for bed. I folded my arms across my chest. “Ok girls, its bath time. Get your jammies and meet me in the bathroom.”

I looked at Harry. “Harry, can you pick out a movie to watch? I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes. I gotta give these stinkies a bath.”

The girls giggled and ran to their room to get their PJs, except Lottie. She tugged on my pants leg. “Is Harry your boyfriend?”  

I laughed. Lottie’s six years old so my mom and I hadn’t told her about things like dating or boys, but that one time Niall and Zayn came over, she questioned me when she saw Niall give Zayn a kiss on the cheek. In his defense he only did it to calm Zayn down after he almost had a panic attack due to all of my sisters trying to talk to him at once. I had told Lottie that Zayn and Niall were boyfriends, but I’m not sure if she thinks that boys who are friends are boyfriends or she knows the real meaning.     

I peeked at Harry, who was blushing a deeper red than I had ever seen. When he saw me looking, his eyes darted back to the pile of movies in his hands and he busied himself rifling through them.

I turned back to Lottie and smiled. “No, Harry’s not my boyfriend.”

She grinned. “That’s too bad. He has curly hair and he’s really cute.”

She skipped off. Maybe she knew more about the meaning of the word boyfriend then I had thought.

After bath time, I slipped next to Harry on the couch. As we watched Captain America (apparently Harry’s a comic book fan) I felt like Harry and I had known each other for way longer than a week. I smiled as he leaned his head on my shoulder and relaxed. I took a quick peek at him from the corner of my eyes. He does have curly hair and he is cute. Maybe he would make a good boyfriend after all.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter mentions physical and verbal abuse. There's nothing too graphic, but if this is a problem, I wanted to include a warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally get a glimpse into Harry's world and what it's like to be homeless during the winter. Will he find shelter or face the cold alone?

**Harry POV**

It was Sunday afternoon and I was starving. I couldn’t go home and the last thing I ate were the cookies at Louis’ house on Friday. I was in the library, but it was almost closing time. I wished it stayed open later on the weekends. It was my favorite place to stay warm. I reached in my pocket and took out the dollar that I had found on the ground yesterday.

I smiled as I saw the vending machine and scanned the contents to pick my dinner. I settled on the cheese doodles and happily pressed the A and the 5 buttons. The coil turned around my potential dinner, but the bag didn’t drop down. It was stuck. I tried to shake the machine, but it wouldn’t budge. I shook the machine harder, but the cheese doodle bag didn’t drop down. I was about to start kicking it, but a library worker passed by. I was a little embarrassed that he saw me shaking the machine, but I was hungry. I turned to him and bit my lip. “The machine took my dollar.”

The guy rolled his eyes. “It’s just a bag of snacks. It’s not the end of the world.”

The look he gave me, made me feel so ashamed that I put the hood up on my hoodie and walked outside as quickly as I could. I tried not to cry, but I couldn’t help it. It’s not fair. Why did it have to get stuck? Of all the people that use that vending machine, I needed what was inside the most. I tried to ignore the pain in my stomach and I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my jacket.

I walked for a while down the streets as the sun was starting to go down. I looked up at the white sky and knew the snow storm was on its way. More tears slipped out. I’m just so hungry. If it’s going to snow, I need something to eat.

I stopped when I came to a supermarket. I eyed the dumpster and bit my lip. I don’t do it often, but I have eaten out of the trash. I’ve never eaten something I’ve dug through the trash for, but I’ve taken out a sandwich if I’ve seen someone toss it in. If someone discards a bag of pretzels, I’ve taken it out and finished it. If it ever came to the point of eating days old trash from a dumpster… I shuddered at the thought of it.

I walked over to the supermarket dumpster. Supermarkets toss bruised fruits and vegetables all the time. If I just reach in there, it’s not like I’m really eating trash, right? The less I think about it the better chance I’ll have at swallowing my pride and getting a bite to eat.

I looked around to make sure no one was watching and I reached in. The dumpster was deeper than I thought so I had to lean in. I smiled at the sight. There were tons of bananas, apples, and carrots. There was even a carton of expired milk. They were sitting on top of the actual trash, so they looked totally edible. I tried to ignore the strong trash smell that was starting to get stronger as I started to collect my dinner.

The sound of a man calling me caused me to drop the food in my hands back into the dumpster and lean around to look at him. He sounded concerned. “Are you alright kid?”

I closed my eyes sadly. I had been so close... I pushed away from the dumpster and stood in front of the man with my hands in my hoodie pockets. I looked at him. He was wearing a Hello My Name is Sticker on his suit jacket. I read the name _Liam Payne_. He looked like a business person so he must have come from one of those corporate business meetings.

He looked at me with more concern than I thought a stranger should have. “Are you alright?”

Why did he care? It’s just me. No one cares about a worthless kid like me.

I looked at the ground trying to come up with something a little less disturbing than ‘no sir, I was digging in a dumpster for my dinner’. I shrugged as my fingers wrapped around my wallet in my pocket. “Um, I’m ok. I just dropped my wallet in the trash.” I pulled the wallet out of my pocket and held it up. I hope he doesn’t notice how thin it is with just a school ID and a library card. I looked up and smiled. “But it’s ok now. I found it.”

Liam didn’t look like he believed me, but he smiled and extended his hand anyway. “Hi, I’m Liam Payne.”

I didn’t shake his hand. He was well dressed and clean and probably rich. I was homeless and my hands smelled like trash. He looked a little hurt, but lowered his hand and turned to leave.

My voice started to break as my eyes filled with new tears. “Sir, d-do you have a dollar?”

I felt the tears roll down my face. I never begged for money before, but I just…

I looked into the man’s eyes and he looked horrified. He took a deep breath in and smiled. “I just moved to this town a few days ago. I came to this grocery store because my fridge is pretty much empty. Why don’t you come help me shop? We can take the food back to my place and you can join me for dinner. I really hate eating alone. What do you say?”

I wiped my eyes and nodded. “My name is Harry, by the way.”

Liam smiled. “It’s nice to meet you Harry.”

I followed him into the supermarket. The sights and smells of wall to wall food made my empty stomach hurt even more. I put my hands in my pockets and looked at the floor knowing that the food that lined the shelves was out of reach.

Liam spoke softly. “White rice, spaghetti, milk, bread…” I looked up, not sure if he was talking to me, and I saw his eyes scanning a grocery list in his hands. He continued. “…cheese, potatoes, lettuce, toothpaste. Hmm, I should have organized this list better.” He tore the list in half. “Here Harry, you get the items on this top half…” He handed me the top piece of the torn sheet. “… and I’ll get the items on this bottom half. That should make this go a little quicker.”

He headed down one of the supermarket aisles, but turned to face me first. He smiled. “By the way, I didn’t add any candy or cookies, so just pick some that you like and I’ll buy them.” He disappeared down aisle 5 and I nodded, even though he was too far away to see me.

I wandered through the store on my supermarket scavenger hunt and tried to remember the last time I went food shopping. Sometimes when I go to my house, when I know for sure that my dad won’t be there, I’ll find the leftovers of his takeout dinner in the fridge. He only drinks beer, and I don’t, so I’ll usually pour myself a glass of water and devour my makeshift meal before he gets back. It doesn’t take long because it’s never more than a few bites anyway. My main source of food is the free lunch I get from the cafeteria.

The last real memory I had of shopping in a supermarket was when I was five years old. My mum was pushing me and I was sitting in the front part of the shopping cart. I remember her tossing in food that was in different shaped cans and boxes. She told me that food was inside each of the cans and boxes and that they were wrapped up like little presents. I had reached my little hand for one of the boxes with a clown on it, but when we got home I was sad to find out that it didn’t have a stuffed clown inside. Instead it had disgusting tasting dried prunes.

I smiled at the memory and continued to gather the objects from Liam’s list. When I was done, I met him in the produce department. He was in deep concentration, squeezing a round orange. He laughed. “You’ve got to pick the oranges with the right firmness if you want a juicy one. My mum would be so proud to see how domesticated I’ve become.”

He handed me the orange and I squeezed it. “Um, it feels like an orange.”

He laughed. “Trust me.”

I picked up an orange from the pile, but my bad luck continued. The pile of oranges started to collapse and fall to the floor. As oranges rolled down, I tried to use my hands to keep them all from crashing to the ground, but there were too many. I felt a lump in my throat preparing for the man I had just met to start screaming at me. I should have listened to my father. He told me many times that I was too stupid to have friends. He told me that no one would like a screw up like me. I had just met Liam and in minutes he saw what an idiot I was.

My eyes slowly found Liam’s and my voice was shaking. “I’m so sorry. I-”

Liam shook his head. “It’s alright. Let’s get these off the floor before anyone notices.”

I crouched down and helped Liam restack the fruits and wondered why he wasn’t mad at me.

Liam smiled as he put the last orange on the top of the new pile. “I’m not mad because they’re just oranges. No harm done, son. Let’s go pay for the groceries.”

I could feel my face blushing as I followed him to the register. I’m not sure if I was blushing because of the fact that he answered a question that I hadn’t meant to say out loud, or if I was blushing because he had called me son. I wish I had a father like Liam. He looks about the right age to be my dad if he’d had me when he was young. I would give anything for a father that actually cared about me.

Maybe I can stay with Liam for a little while. I know I just met him, but maybe…

Liam interrupted my thoughts when I heard him say my name. “Harry, do you like chocolate?”

I nodded. I would answer any random question he asked me if it meant he would keep talking to me.

There were still a lot of people ahead of us in line and the person being helped had a whole basketful of groceries. Liam turned to face me and sighed. “They really need to get another person to run the cash register. I bet they would hire someone like you Harry. It might be a good chance to make some money.”

I shook my head. “My dad doesn’t want me working.” That was an understatement.

I had applied to work at the library a few months back. I got the job and it was great until I missed a shift and they called home. My dad came to the library the next day and literally dragged me out of there. He took me home and beat me until I promised never to get a job again. I don’t remember much of what he said, I just remember the pain. The fragments of what he said that I do remember have to do with being too worthless to ever have anything like a job or friends.

I felt Liam’s hand on my wrist. He smiled as he got my attention again. He laughed. “You like to zone out a lot don’t you?”

I blinked. If only they were memories I could forget. Oh no. Liam thinks I’m not interested in him. I can’t let him think that. I have to show him I’m interested in his life. I looked at his Hello My Name Is Liam sticker and smiled. “So you’re like a business guy or something?”

He followed my gaze to his name sticker and laughed. “I should probably take this off. No, I’m a teacher, but they make me go to these corporate seminar things on team teaching and skill building. That’s always a fun way to spend a Sunday.”

I wasn’t sure if he was joking, but I laughed just in case. I never saw Liam at the school so he must be a college teacher or something.

His voice was almost a whisper. I’m not sure if it was because he didn’t want the people around him to hear the question, or if he wasn’t sure that he should have asked it. “Are you homeless, Harry?”

I felt the lump in my throat again. I had thought just a minute ago that I would answer any random question he asked me, but this one I wasn’t prepared to answer. I looked at Liam and tried to say the words, but they were stuck in my throat. It was almost like the words were part of that lump in my throat that was making it had to swallow. I felt the tears coming back to my eyes.

Liam tried another approach. “Do you have a safe place to stay?” I nodded my head and wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my hoodie. Sleeping under a bridge in the snow does not qualify as a safe place to stay, but it was safer than staying with my dad, so I didn’t completely lie.

He furrowed his eyebrows. I could tell he knew I was lying. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but the voice of the cashier woman was first, cutting Liam off. “Next!”

He silently put the food on the register. I watched as the woman used her scanner on each of the items. 

I smiled as I looked forward to eating these foods in the safe, warm house of Liam. I’d finally get a chance to have someone that cared if I lived or died. Someone like a father…

Just as that thought came into my head, my fantasy started to crumble. I heard the words of my father in my head. The words that he had said to me during the beating after he found me working in the library. Those forgotten words screamed in my head.

_You don’t deserve anything good in life. You’re a worthless piece of trash. Don’t tell me to stop. You don’t deserve mercy._

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the memory, but I couldn’t.

_A kid like you doesn’t deserve anything good in life. You don’t deserve a job. You don’t deserve friends. You don’t deserve any of the nice things in this house._

I could almost feel his fist slamming into my face.

_You don’t deserve a father. No one can love someone like you. No one could care about someone like you. You’re not worth it._

Liam didn’t need someone like me staying at his house. He felt sorry for me, but in a few days we would see the real me. The worthless piece of trash that my father saw.

I took one of the prepackaged sandwiches out of the bag of things that were already rang up. I took a water bottle out too. I looked at Liam. “Can I have these?”

Liam looked away from the screen calculating his total and smiled. “Of course. This food’s for both of us. I love those sandwiches. They’re easy to pack when I don’t have time in the morning to make a proper lunch.”

I nodded. “Thank you Liam.”

I waited until he looked back at the screen with his total. I held the sandwich and water tightly in my hands and I ran as fast as I could out of the store. I had such a good head start that there was no way Liam could catch me. I heard him call my name as I pushed the glass door open, but I didn’t look back as I raced down the street and ducked down one of the side streets.

I made my way through the streets and alleys, running the whole time. I ran even after the point that I knew Liam had lost sight of me. I wanted to get as far away from him as possible. I can’t believe I thought even for a second that…

My mind froze as a snowflake landed on my hand. I looked up and saw the flakes starting to fall from the sky. I hunched over and cradled the sandwich and water in my arms and ran as fast as I could to the bridge.

When I got there I wasn’t alone. There were a few other people huddled under the bridge. I wonder how many of them were homeless and how many of them just didn’t have a safe place to stay like me. The difference between me and them was that they all had heavy coats on and I had only my hoodie to keep me warm.

I sat down on a part of the ground that was shielded from the cold, wet snow. The ground was freezing, but it was at least dry. I put my backpack in front of me and balanced the container with my sandwich on it. I’d probably never see Liam again, and I smiled at this last tasty memory I had of him.

I was about to take a bite of the ham and cheese delicacy, but I felt someone looking at me. My eyes shifted from my almost irresistible ham and cheese to the cold sad eyes of an old man sitting inches away from me. He had a blanket wrapped around him so all I could see was his face.

For a second, I thought that he was going to take my meal from me, but instead he just gave me a weak smile and looked away. By the looks of his tired expression, I could tell he had been homeless for a lot longer than I had. My dad had conditioned me to think of myself as worthless, but I never thought of others that way.

I broke the sandwich in half and extended my hand with half of my sandwich to the man. “Here, you can have this.”

The old man’s eyes met mine again. He slowly took the sandwich half and nodded a thank you. We ate together in silence. I finished drinking about half of the bottle of water and I handed him the rest to drink.

I wrapped my arms around my backpack and hugged it, trying to trap in as much heat as I could. The old man spoke in a gravelly voice. “Here.” I looked up at him and he was unwrapping the blanket from his shoulders. He had a thick brown coat on under that blanket. He handed me the blanket. “You look cold, son.”

The word son made me shiver even more than the cold, snowy air. I bit my lip, knowing if he hadn’t called me son, that there was a good chance I would have taken the warm blanket, but just as my father had conditioned me to do, I refused the fatherly offer from the old man.

I smiled. “No thanks. I’m ok.”

The old man wrapped the blanket around his body again. I closed my eyes and buried my head against the backpack. I rocked back and forth trying to keep myself warm and to ease myself asleep. At some point I was finally able to drift off and escape the cold world and I gradually felt warmer.

The sound of rustling woke me up and I blinked my eyes to realize it was morning. I lifted my head and felt a weight against my shoulders. I smiled as I felt the warmth of the blanket around my shoulders. When I was dreaming and I had started to feel warm… that must have been the point that the old man put the blanket around my shoulders.

I turned to face the man, but he was curled up in a ball sleeping. I returned the borrowed blanket to the man as I gently wrapped it over him. He stirred awake.

I smiled. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up. Thanks for the blanket.”

He smiled back. “No problem, son.”

This time the word son didn’t bother me as much. I threaded my arms through the straps of my backpack. “I gotta get to the bus stop. Thanks again.”

The man nodded and closed his eyes to go back to sleep. I probably wouldn’t see him again. A lot of people that stay under the bridge are transients. They stay for a day and move on the next. The fact that I hadn’t seen him before was a good sign that I wouldn’t see him again.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my hoodie and trekked through the snow. I felt a pounding in my head and I sniffed as I wiped my nose with the sleeve of my hoodie.  I finally reached the bus stop. I was so glad that it was a new week and the bus suspension was over. I shivered as I waited for the warm bus to arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was very emotional for me to write. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Niall POV**

My fingertips moved slowly as I pressed them against the strings on the arm of the guitar. My other hand, led by my thumb, strummed against the strings on the body of the guitar creating the melody that previously only lived in my head. I sat crossed-legged on my bed continuing to play my self-written song.

I don’t let a lot of people see the softer side of me. I guess everyone has their secrets, and this is mine. I moan and complain during English class just like Louis and Zayn do, but secretly I love reading the poetry that we are given for homework. It gives me ideas for songs. My songs don’t have words, only a melody, but sometimes a good poem can be as inspirational in writing a melody as a beautiful snowy day.

I looked out of the window at the snow and smiled. If the guys knew I was thinking about poetry and snowy days, they would never let me hear the end of it. Actually that’s not true. Zayn’s an artist, he would probably like the fact that I’m getting refined. I can’t risk it though. I have my reputation that I need to protect.

I continued to strum the love song that I wrote. I closed my eyes as I swayed with the melody, but was interrupted by the sound of words. That’s strange. My songs don’t have lyrics and I know I’m not singing. I opened my eyes and looked at my computer screen. I smiled as I saw Zayn’s face on the screen lying on his pillow fast asleep.

I had Skyped Zayn a minute ago because I wanted him to hear the song I wrote. Somehow he must have fallen asleep and now he was mumbling sweet nothings into his pillow. I frowned. How could he have fallen asleep before I finished my song? I looked at the clock next to my bed and understood why. The Skype chat that I thought started minutes ago had actually started an hour ago. I must have lost track of time when I was playing and Zayn didn’t want to interrupt.

I cleared my throat. “Zayn, buddy, rise and shine.”

I watched as Zayn blinked his sleepy eyes awake and gazed back, still unfocused at the screen. He blinked a few more times and his black eyelashes fluttered. My God, he’s sexy.

Zayn yawned. “You woke me up.”

I laughed. “Technically you woke yourself up. You were talkin’ in your sleep and I noticed you weren’t payin’ attention to me. You know, for someone who’s too shy to talk much when they’re awake, you sure are chatty in your sleep.”

Zayn swatted his pillow in the direction of the screen. “Leave me alone. I’m complicated.”

I laughed. “You’re also really sexy when you sleep. I almost didn’t want to wake you.”

Zayn smirked. “Should I be concerned that you find me attractive when I’m unconscious? That sounds more like one of those red flags that should make me run away.”

I laughed a little harder at that joke than I should have. Zayn always makes me laugh.

I put the guitar on the bed next to me. “Did you like the song?”

Zayn smiled and he sat up, scooting closer to the screen. “I loved it. It sounded like a lullaby. I guess that’s why I fell asleep.”

I heard my mum calling from downstairs. “Niall, breakfast is ready. Come and get it.”

I winked at Zayn. “I’ll cya soon baby.”

Zayn leaned into the screen and kissed it. “Cya soon.”

I threw on my clothes and ran down the stairs. My mum was in the kitchen and she waved a knife in the air at me. “No running in the house!”

I stopped short as I saw the knife in her hand. She looked from my shocked face to the knife and laughed. “Oh, I forgot I was holdin’ this. I was just peelin’ potatoes.” She smiled at me. “Don’t want ya to think the penalty for runnin’ in the house is being stabbed.”

We both had a long laugh at that and I sat down to eat the pancakes she made. I headed out the door and I saw Zayn waiting on the stoop. I gave him a kiss on his cheek and pulled back quickly when I realized how cold his cheek was.

I frowned. “How long were you out here?”

He blushed. “Not long.”

Every day we go through this same thing. Zayn meets me at my house whether it’s to walk to the bus together or to carpool like we had to last week. He always waits on the stoop, too shy to ring the doorbell.

 I put my arm around him as we walked to the bus stop. “You know, the doorbell at my house works.”

He bit his lip. “I was going to ring it this time, honest, but then I thought your mum might answer and I got really scared.”

I wanted to squeeze him tighter and tell him it was ok, but we were close to the bus stop so I had to let go and put a little distance between us. I wish we didn’t have to lie about our relationship at school. We walked the last few yards to the bus stop with the uncomfortable space between us.

I let Zayn walk on the bus in front of me and I saw Louis’ smiling face sitting next to Harry. Zayn and I slid into the seat across from them. Zayn sat next to window like he always did. He told me once that he liked the window seat because he could look outside, but it think it has more to do with having me as a protective barrier between him and crazy Louis.

I turned to Louis. He was in the seat closest to me and Harry was in the seat next to the window. Harry had his hood pulled over his head and his backpack was on his lap. He was leaning on the backpack like a pillow, but he was face down so I couldn’t see him.

Louis’ voice was louder than it should have been. “It snowed all night. I thought that we would get a snow day, but no.”

I was more preoccupied with Harry than Louis’ complaining. Harry looked like he was shivering. I tried to look around Louis to get a better view. “Harry, you ok?”

He turned his head to look at me and sat up slightly. His face was all pink and splotchy. “Sorry, I didn’t say hi.”

I frowned. “You look terrible. You look like you slept outside last night.”

Harry twitched and sat up. “No, I’m just cold.”

Louis smirked. “Wear something heavier than a hoodie. There’s snow on the ground Haz.”

Harry nodded. “Ok mum.”

Louis frowned. “And speaking of that hoodie, you may want to give it a good wash. You kinda smell like a bum.”

Harry’s eyes got wide. He looked from Louis to me. “I’m sorry. I-.” He tried to finish, but started coughing. When he stopped, he gave up and buried his head back against his backpack.

Louis rubbed his back. “It’s ok Harry. Niall smells far worse most of the time and I’m still his friend.”

Harry looked up and his eyes met mine. He was clearly embarrassed, but Louis didn’t seem to notice. I looked from Harry’s sad eyes to Louis’ blue oblivious ones and quickly changed the subject. As Louis became lost in the new conversation, I looked back at Harry and he smiled. He laid his head back on his backpack and closed his eyes. I turned my attention back to Louis. I distracted Louis from bothering Harry for the rest of the bus ride. Not only did Harry look sick, but he looked like he needed to rest for a few minutes in peace and quiet.

*****

It was lunchtime and nothing interesting had happened. Classes were pretty boring, but most of the time that’s the way school is. Nothing exciting ever happens during school, it’s always before or after.

Louis, Zayn, and I headed to the cafeteria. Louis leaned his arm around my shoulders. “I think lunch today is some cabbage thing.”

We got on the lunch line and Louis was right. I eyed the cabbage wraps on the tray and waited until I was right in front of them. The lunch lady smiled back at me. She was an older, round faced woman. She always served lunch with a hairnet and a smile.

She took her tongs and put a cabbage roll on my plate. I looked down at my meal and noticed that there were two cabbage rolls on my plate. I smiled at the lady. “Thanks.”

She winked back at me. I happily moved my tray and I grinned from ear to ear.

When we got to our lunch table Louis frowned. “Hey. How did you get two cabbage things?”

I laughed. “I guess it’s just of wee bit of luck of the Irish.”

Zayn smiled. “Maybe I’ll get an extra scoop of curry when they serve that for lunch.”

I started to slice one of the rolls. “I don’t think they ever serve Indian food.”

Louis snorted. “Thank God for that.”

Zayn pouted. “Hey Indian food is good.”

Louis opened a can of Coke. “You must have a funny definition of good. Oh, that reminds me, how did it go working with your dad?”

Zayn shivered. “It was horrible. I don’t even want to think about it. Everything that could have gone wrong, did.”

Louis smiled. “Well if it’s any consolation, after a day like that it can’t go anywhere, but up.”

Zayn frowned. “That’s not exactly true. It could stay horribly the same. A living nightmare every time.”

I laughed. “You sound as overdramatic as Louis.”

Louis smiled. “Dramatic moments deserve drama.”

Zayn nodded. “I agree.”

I looked up as I saw Harry approaching the table from the corner of my eye. I almost didn’t recognize him. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and black jeans and wasn’t wearing his black hoodie.

He still looked kind of sick, but he was smiling, holding his tray. “Do you mind if I sit with you guys?”

Before I could answer, Louis stood up and threw his arm around Harry. Harry flinched almost dropping his tray.

Louis smiled. “No need to be so formal Harold. We always have an open spot for you at our table. We’re your mentors. That’s our job.”

I rolled my eyes as Harry sat down. “I think our job is to show Harry around the school and help him get acclimated. I don’t think we’ve done that yet.”

Louis frowned. “Nonsense. We’re the best mentors in the world. Isn’t that right Harry?”

Harry unscrewed the cap on his bottle of water. “What happens to me if I say you aren’t?”

Zayn smiled. “Louis might want to spend more one on one time with you.”

I laughed. “You better say we’re the best mentors ever. You wouldn’t want that.”

Harry smiled as he chewed on his piece of cabbage. “I don’t know. Spending more time with Lou doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me.”

For the first time since I’ve known Louis, he was speechless. He sat there staring at Harry with an open mouth, but nothing coming out of it.

I stuffed a forkful of the potato au gratin, the side that came with the meal, in my mouth. “If I knew all it took to shut Louis up was to compliment him, I would have done it a long time ago.”

Louis’ blue eyes shifted over to me as the life came back to them. He gave me a glaring look and focused his attention back on Harry. “So, I went over to the library that you love so much Harry and I tried to rent some books.”

Zayn smiled. “I don’t think you rent books, I think you check them out.”

Louis frowned. “Well I didn’t do either because the librarian was giving me such a hard time. I found these cute fairytale books to read to my sisters, but the librarian woman kept going on and on about a library card. I gave her my driver’s license and school ID, cuz she said that I needed two forms of identification, which I thought was odd cuz I was applying for a library card, not a job, but whatever. So then she tells me that it will take two days to process and I can’t get any books until it does. At this point I’m upset cuz she could’ve probably just written my name and phone number down and called me if I kept the books past their due dates. Plus, my card would be ready in two days so I’d be back then anyway to pick it up. Instead she’s all evil and starts telling me she can’t bend the rules for one person because she’ll have to make exceptions for everyone.”

Louis smirked as he continued his story. “So I was like ‘who are these hordes of people that are coming to the library looking for exceptions to the book borrowing rules?’ I guess I was a little too loud cuz she was all ‘you can’t yell in a library.’ And I was all like ‘I guess you can’t take books out in the library either unless you go through a high level government background check.’ Then she got this look in her eyes like she was going to call security, so I left before that could happen.”

Harry laughed. “I don’t think you should go back there, but if you give me the names of the books, I can check them out for you on my card.”

Louis sighed. “Ok, I’ll do that. Hey wait, I just noticed you’re not wearing your hoodie.”

Harry blushed. “I put it in my locker because you said it smelled.”

I tried to steal a piece of potato from Zayn’s tray while he was distracted, but he caught me and moved his tray away.

We continued to laugh and talk until lunch was almost over. I noticed that as we talked, Harry retreated further and further from the conversation, until he only nodded occasionally. His face was also turning a shade closer to the cabbage rolls than a normal face.

He blinked slowly and winced.

I looked at him a little concerned. “Are you ok, mate?”

He blinked. “Um, I’m not sure. I’m kinda dizzy.”

Louis put his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I know that look. You look just like my sisters when they’ve had too much candy and they’re gonna throw up.”

Harry looked up at Louis. His eyes were filled with panic. “I can’t throw up. I just ate.” He put his hand over his mouth and mumbled something I couldn’t understand.

I took him by the arm and helped him stand. “I’ll take you to the nurse. Just let me know if you start to feel sick and we’ll stop by the bathroom first.”

Harry nodded and we walked out of the cafeteria and headed to the nurses office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a nice break to show Niall and Zayn's relationship a bit more and to set up for the most important chapter of the story. Chapter 13 deals with abuse in a very descriptive way. I don't want to upset people with blood and violence, but I think that it's important to the story.
> 
> Home is completely finished and ended up being 15 chapters. I have to do some small editing and proofreading and all of that, so chapter 13 will be up on Monday, chapter 14 on Friday, and chapter 15 on the following Monday. Thank you so much for all your kind comments, feedback, kudos, and bookmarks.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of physical abuse.

**Chapter 13**

**Louis POV**

I sat at my desk and watched as our Math teacher reviewed the test we just got back. Most of the class passed, but sadly, I did not. As Mr. Payne went over the equations, I realized how easy it would have been to have passed if I had just studied. I stared at the red F on the top of my paper and I sighed as I read the ‘see me after class’ that was written next to it.

I thought about Harry. Why was I obsessing about this guy so much? I can’t help but like him. Any chance I had with him is sadly over though. I told him he smelled when we were on the bus and I almost got banned from his most favorite place in the whole world, the library. His opinion of me as a boyfriend is probably trashed, but maybe I can fix the friendship thing.

For the rest of class I opted not to listen to the teacher that has control over me passing or failing, and instead focused on how I could run damage control on Harry’s image of me.

I barely heard the bell ring. I gave a half-hearted wave to Zayn and Niall as they left and I trotted up to the teacher’s desk. He was sitting at his desk, looking down at papers in front of him. I’m guessing he was trying to mark them, but the stack was upside down. I adjusted the Mr. Liam Payne name plaque on his desk and he looked up quickly, as if he hadn’t realized I was standing there.

His voice was distant. “Yes?”

I held up my test paper. “It says to see you after class, so I’m seeing you after class.”

He sighed. “You failed the test.”

I frowned. “It also says that on the paper, so you’re not giving me any new information here.”

He raised his eyebrow and yelled at me. “If you don’t want my help, I can’t force you to take it. Get out. Fail for all I care!”

I looked down at the floor. “I-I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad Mr. Payne. I just didn’t study because I was lazy. I’ll never let it happen again. I promise.”

I looked back at him hoping that he wouldn’t yell at me again. He looked at me with anger, but it quickly disappeared and he apologized. “I’m sorry Louis. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’ve just got a lot on my mind. There’s this kid I was hoping to help yesterday, but he ran away before I could. I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

I smirked. “So that’s why you’re trying to mark upside down papers?”

Mr. Payne blushed as he turned the stack of papers the right way. “I just can’t get him out of my mind. I’ve been thinking of this kid named Harry all day.”

I laughed. “Join the club. I’ve been thinking about a guy named Harry since he got sick at lunch.”

Mr. Payne sighed. “I’m sure it’s not the same Harry. The kid I met was digging in a dumpster looking for food. I think he’s homeless. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t go to school.”

I stopped to think for a minute. The only time that I saw Harry go to his house was that first day that Niall’s mum dropped him off. I wasn’t there to actually see it because Niall’s mum dropped me off first, but Niall told me that he thought Harry had walked out of the house and down the street right after they drove away. Harry wears essentially the same hoodie every day and it did smell like a homeless man today. It snowed last night and Harry looked especially cold and sick, like he had slept outside last night. He doesn’t have a phone and he fell asleep in the library once overnight. I almost don’t want to ask the question, but could Harry be homeless?

Mr. Payne looked at me and spoke carefully. “Does your friend, Harry, have curly brown hair, green eyes, a black hoodie...?”

I finished his sentence. “…dimples and a ratty backpack? Yup.”

Mr. Payne stood. “Where is he now?”

I answered quickly. “The nurse’s office.”

Mr. Payne nodded. “I have to see if this is the same boy. If it is, I can’t let him sleep outside again. The snow is supposed to get worse tonight.”

I followed him out of the classroom and up the stairs as I scrolled through my phone. I finally found the picture I wanted. It was the one I had Zayn take of me and Harry. I handed Mr. Payne my phone. “Is this the Harry you met?”

Mr. Payne looked at the picture for a split second and nodded. “That’s him.”

As we continued to walk to the nurse’s office my mind went into overdrive. Why didn’t Harry tell me he was homeless? No wonder he fell asleep outside my house that time when he was waiting for me. He was probably used to sleeping outside. Why didn’t he just ask for help? I would have let him stay with me. I’m sure my mum wouldn’t have minded. Why was sleeping in the snow a better option?

We reached the nurse’s office and I followed Mr. Payne inside. The nurse offered us a friendly smile. “Hello. Can I help you?” She looked at me. “Are you sick, Lad?”

Mr. Payne answered before I could. “No. Is there a boy named Harry here?”

I cut in. “His name is Harry Styles.”

The nurse smiled. “Yes. Harry was here, but you just missed him. I had him sleep on one of the cots over there. I called his emergency contact number and his father came and picked him up. He didn’t look too happy to see his father. They left a few minutes ago.”

I tried to stay calm. “We need his address.”

The nurse frowned. “I can’t give you that information.”

Mr. Payne reassured her. “It’s ok, I’m a teacher.”

She nodded and handed him the file. He copied the address into his phone and raced out of the door. I tried to keep up. I followed him to the parking lot. He pressed the button on his keychain disabling his car alarm. The car beeped as the doors clicked open. He hoped into the car and I quickly sat in the passenger seat. He set the GPS for Harry’s house and pulled out of his parking space. As he put the car in reverse he spoke to me. “Is Harry in danger being with his father?”

I tried not to cry. “I-I’m not sure. He said that him and his dad didn’t have a good relationship, but now I think it’s more than that. I think he’s scared to go home.”

I saw Mr. Payne clench his jaw and I felt the car moving faster down the street.

I looked at Mr. Payne. “Can I call you Liam?”

Liam sighed. “I don’t know if that’s really appropriate.”

I blinked. “It’s more appropriate than driving with a student during school hours.”

Liam smiled. “Ok, you can call me Liam now, but when we get back to school its Mr. Payne.”

We reached the house and Liam had barely stopped the car before I ran out. I raced up to the house and started banging on the door. The house was old and rundown, so I decided knocking might work better than ringing the doorbell.

By the time Liam made his way next to me, the door opened. A man with gray hair and angry eyes stood between the route to Harry and us.

Liam spoke in a very official voice. “I’m here to see your son, Harry Styles. I’m his teacher.”

Harry’s father scowled. “He’s sick. He’s sleeping.”

Liam tried to look around the man. “I just want to see if he’s alright.”

Harry’s father raised an eyebrow. “I told you he’s asleep.”

Liam started to sound a little more desperate. “Please sir, if you could just-.”

Harry’s father frowned. “I think it’s time for you to leave. You’re not coming in my house.”

At this point I could smell the alcohol on the man’s breath.

Liam cleared his throat. “I can call the police.”

The man’s mouth wrinkled into a smile. “Oh, you want to play this game, do ya? Alright.” He turned his head to the right and raised his voice. “Harry. Your teacher and some kid are here. Give them a noise to let them know you’re ok.”

Harry’s voice came softly from the direction his father was facing. “I’m ok.”

He may have said he was ok, but I could tell he wasn’t. I looked at Liam. “We can call the police, right?”

Harry’s father laughed a sadistic laugh. “And tell them what? That your friend said he was ok and you don’t believe him? No cop is gonna come in here based off a’ that. I told ya Harry was sleeping on the couch and ya heard him. Now go away!”

He slammed the door in our faces.

I looked at Liam and started to cry. “What are we going to do?”

Liam took me by the wrist and led me to the car. He was saying things to calm me, but I couldn’t hear them.

We got in the car and sat in silence for a minute. The only sound was me crying. I started to think about all the awful things that Harry’s dad could be doing to him and I started to cry harder. It was when I started hyperventilating that Liam tried to calm me down.

He put a hand on my back. “Louis, try to breathe. It’s going to be alright. I can take you home if you want.”

I sniffed. “We’re just going to leave?”

Liam shook his head. “No. I can take you home, but I plan on staying here all day and all night if I have to. Harry’s father has to leave eventually and I’m going inside to rescue Harry when he does.”

I picked up my phone. “I’ll text my mum and tell her I’m staying at a friend’s house. I can text Niall and Zayn and let them know what’s happening. They won’t tell anyone if I ask them not to.”

After I sent the texts I started crying again. I knew crying was the exact opposite of helpful right now but I couldn’t stop. I had gotten myself in a panicked state again and Liam spent the next hour calming me down.

He rubbed my back and told me everything was going to be alright. At first they were just hollow words, but eventually I felt like he really meant them. My fears and anxieties were gone. The chilling feeling of the unknown was replaced by the physical chill of the car.

Liam smiled. “It’s good that you’re cold. That means your body’s calm enough to worry about something other than Harry.”

I shivered. “I was in Harry induced shock?”

Liam nodded. “Something like that. I’m sorry I can’t turn the heat up, but I have to keep the car off so we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves.”

He took his coat off and put it over me. It smelled surprisingly good. He wears the nicest smelling cologne. I guess I’m feeling better if I’m worried about his cologne.

I pulled his borrowed jacket around me tighter. “How old are you, Liam?”

Liam looked back at the door of the house. “36.”

I sighed. “You look a lot younger than that.”

He looked at me. “Um, thanks?”

I blushed. “No, I didn’t mean that as a rude thing. I just kind of thought you were in your twenties and I thought you were cute when I first met you.

Liam smirked. “You think I’m cute? Well now I really shouldn’t let you call me Liam anymore.”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t see you as boyfriend material anymore.”

Liam looked slightly disturbed. “The fact that I’m your teacher, no matter what age I was, should have stopped you. Plus, um, I’m not into guys in that way.”

I laughed. “It’s ok. I was pretty sure you were straight. But regardless, I still don’t see you as boyfriend material.”

Liam blinked. I could tell he wasn’t comfortable with this conversation, but it distracted us from worrying about Harry. He sighed. “Because I’m too old for you?”

I smiled. “No. I see why I like you so much now. The way that you plan on staying out in the cold for hours waiting, and the way that you calmed me down when I was hysterical twice, you’re like a dad. My dad skipped out on my mum while she was pregnant with the second set of twins. After he left, it’s been really hard for our family. I can tell a jerk a mile away. You aren’t that kind of guy.”

Liam smiled. “So you went from trying to set me up with yourself, to trying to set me up with your mother?”

I looked at the door of Harry’s house and sighed. “I think Harry needs someone like you in his life more than I do.”

We both sat staring at that door in silence. I pleaded with myself in my head continuously for it to open. Sometimes I pleaded so hard that the chanting in my head came out as a whispered “c’mon just open the door.”

Finally after the longest two hours of my life, the door opened. Harry’s father walked slowly out of the door and headed to his car. I had smelt alcohol on his breath before, but he didn’t seem drunk. Even now I don’t think he was too drunk to drive. He was probably looking to remedy that. I would have bet everything I had on the fact that he was headed to some pub to get smashed.

I imagined this was the pattern whenever he had the chance to see Harry. He would drink a little, not getting drunk, but just a little buzzed. He would then beat Harry senseless. Finally he would head out to have a few drinks at the bar to celebrate what a big man he was for beating his son.

As Harry’s father pulled out of the driveway, he didn’t seem to notice we were still parked across from the house. As soon as his car was out of sight, Liam and I raced up to the house. Liam looked prepared to break the door down, but lucky for us, Harry’s father didn’t bother to lock it.

Liam bolted through the door and I followed quickly behind him. We both looked to the left, remembering that was the direction that Harry’s voice had come from before. To the left was a living room. Like the rest of the house, the room was really rundown and dirty. It was obvious that Harry’s father lived alone and he didn’t clean up, like ever. There was garbage, old food containers, and empty beer bottles scattered around the room, littering the floor.

In the middle of the living room was a gray couch and laying on it was Harry. He had his black hoodie on. He must have gotten it from his locker before he left school. I shuddered at the image of Harry’s father trying to drag him out of the school, but Harry going to his locker to get the one piece of clothing that would keep him warm. He probably needs it for when his father kicks him out, or when it eventually gets too dangerous to stay at home and he has to make his escape. I felt terrible that I had said it smelled. I had made him feel ashamed of one of his few valued possessions.

The hood was up and Harry was lying with his back to us on the couch, so he didn’t see us. Liam knelt down and put a hand on Harry’s arm.

Harry flinched and started to plead. “No, dad, please. Not again.”

He turned to face us. His nose was bleeding pretty badly and blood was trailing down his face from a cut on his head. A few stray curls hid the actual wound, but they were stained red and stuck to his forehead with blood.

His shiny green eyes focused on Liam and they were filled with panic and tears. There was a dark purple bruise around his left eye.

His eyes squinted and his voice sounded so raw and exhausted. “Liam? H-how do you know where I- how did you- are you here to…” He trailed off and smiled.

The way Harry looked, bloody and broken, I couldn’t imagine there was anything to smile about, but I felt myself smiling along with him.

Liam exhaled slowly. “Louis failed one of my math tests and somehow we ended up here.”

Harry’s weary eyes shifted to me. “You’re failing math?”

I wiped a tear from my face. “It’s ok. It’s not like I’m going to use any of it in real life.”

Liam helped Harry sit up slowly. “Finding 20% of 250 is math that you’ll never use in real life?”

I sat on the couch on the other side of Harry and shrugged. “I think I got that question on the test right.”

Harry laughed softly and then moaned. He leaned forward and wrapped his arm around his waist. He lowered his head and wiped his face with his sleeve. His hoodie was blocking my view so I couldn’t tell if he was wiping tears from his eyes or blood from his nose, but either one gave me chills.

He rested his hand on his knee with his other hand still wrapped tightly around his waist, moaning louder this time. I put my hand on his and felt the wetness of a tear on the back of his hand. I guess they were tears he was wiping away before. I looked down as I rubbed my hand over his and felt him wince. His hands had bruises and cuts all over them. He must have held his hands up to defend himself when his dad…

Liam’s voice echoed through the room. “Is your dad coming back soon?”

Harry shook his head. “He went to the pub. He won’t be back for hours.”

Liam’s voice was almost a whisper. “What did he do to you?”

He took Harry’s hood with his hand and gently pulled it down. When his hood fell to his back, the full extent of his beating was on display. Most of the damage was on the left side of his face. Without the shield of the hood, I could see that the dark purple bruise was not only around his eye, but on the entire left hand side of his face.

Harry wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “I’m ok.”

Liam put Harry’s head on his shoulder. “It’s ok. We’re here to help. It’s all going to be ok now.”

Harry started to cry on Liam’s shoulder. He cried for a long time and Liam just let him, without saying anything. After a while Harry stopped and sat up from Liam’s shoulder. He sniffed a few times and looked at the floor.

Liam stood. “Harry, I don’t think it’s safe for you here. Please get your things and I’ll drive you to my place. I promise, you’ll be safe there, son.”

Harry sniffed. “The only things I have are the clothes I have on, my hoodie, and the stuff in my backpack.”

Liam helped Harry to his feet. Harry was standing, but he was leaning forward with his arm still around his waist. He grimaced in pain as Liam helped him to the door. I quickly grabbed the backpack from across the room and stayed by Harry’s side until Liam helped him into the backseat of the car. I sat next to Harry and he moaned as he leaned on my shoulder.

I tried not to talk too loud because his ear was right next to my mouth. “Haz, do you think you need to go to the hospital?”

He shook his head against my shoulder. “Nah. Nothing feels broken or anything. I’m just really sore from him kicking me in the stomach. My eye hurts, but I don’t think I have a concussion or anything.”

I looked at Liam and then back at Harry. “What happened?”

Harry sat up. He looked at me with those heartbreaking eyes and bit his lip. “Lou, there’s a secret I’ve been keeping. I wanted to tell you for a long time, but I just… I was just too scared to before. I was scared that you wouldn’t like me if you knew that I was, um, that I was…”

I put my hand on his knee. His leg was bouncing up and down so much that the whole backseat was shaking. My hand didn’t calm him and his leg continued to bounce even with my hand on top of it.

He looked at me cautiously and sighed. “When my dad came to pick me up at the nurse’s office he was so ticked off. I think he was mad because I was sick, but it’s not like I could help it. If I didn’t have to sleep in the snow outside last night I wouldn’t have gotten sick.”

I tried to hide the sadness as I spoke, but my voice betrayed me coming out thin and shaky. “You sleep outside because you’re scared of your father?”

Harry’s face showed a mix of relief and shame as he nodded. “I think one of these days he’s going to start hitting me and lose control and not be able to stop.”

I tried to stay calm. The thought of Harry’s dad hitting him repeatedly was too disturbing to think about.

Harry closed his eyes and continued his story. “So, my dad was angry when we got into the car. The whole ride I told him I wasn’t feeling good and I needed to throw up. I begged him to pull over, but he just told me to man up and wait till I got home. I almost made it, but about two blocks from the house I couldn’t hold it in anymore and I got sick in the car. My dad got so angry I thought he was going to crash.”

Harry ran his hands through his hair. I was able to see the cut on his forehead when he moved his curls for a second. It looked pretty bad.

He looked at me again with those sad eyes. “When we got to the house, he dragged me out of the car and pulled me into the house. He kicked me in the stomach really hard and I got sick again. I couldn’t help it, but he screamed at me like I did it on purpose. He got that look in his eyes like he wasn’t going stop. He choked me really hard and I thought I was going to pass out. I guess he wanted me to experience the rest of the beating before I blacked out, so he let go of my neck and started to punch me in the face.  He’s hit me so many times before, but I never get used to him slamming his fist against my face. He only hit me a few times before the pounding against my face turned into pounding against the door. I dragged myself to the couch. I couldn’t hear that it was you and Liam at the door, but when my dad said to make a noise, I just automatically said that I was fine.”

He closed his green eyes. “I don’t know what happened. After he talked to you, he came back and just stared at me on the couch. He never looked like that before and I was scared out of my mind. He just stared at me. I wonder if he was deciding whether it was worth it to just... He finally got up and mumbled that he was going to the pub and slammed the door when he left. When you two came in and Liam touched my arm, I thought it was dad. I thought he changed his mind and he was going to kill me.”

I felt the car swerve. I looked up and saw Liam’s reflection in the rearview mirror. His eyes were narrowed and focused straight ahead on the road, but his hands were squeezing the wheel so hard that his knuckles were white.

I didn’t ask Harry anymore questions. I didn’t want to upset Harry anymore and I didn’t want to upset Liam either. The rest of the ride was spent in silence.

Liam pulled into his driveway and we walked into his house. It was a really nice place. It looked like a proper bachelor pad. He made tea for me and Harry and we talked for a bit while I waited for my mum to come pick me up. When my mum arrived, I told her the story. She’s a nurse, so she checked out Harry, just to make sure everything was ok like he said. She gave him a clean bill of health and just like Harry had said, it was just a lot of cuts and bruises, nothing was broken.

I hugged Harry goodbye and left him in the capable hands of Mr. Payne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the hardest chapters I've ever had to write. I hope i did a very delicate subject justice. Chapter 14 will be posted on Friday.


	14. Chapter 14

**Harry POV**

I watched Lou leave and I turned to face Liam. “Um, so what now?”

Liam smiled. “Why don’t you take a shower? I have to go out for a bit, but I’ll be back soon.”

I nodded. I stepped into the shower and felt the warm water splash on my face. I tried to wash away all the dirt, all the grime, all the muddy memories of the last two days. I felt safe. In that warm shower I felt far away from the frigid, snowy streets. In that steamy shower I felt hidden from my father’s view. His fists were out of reach and I was safe in the camouflage of the steamy water. Under the running water of that shower I felt like all the lies I told and all the dirty secrets I kept were being washed down the drain.

I stayed in the shower until the water started to run cold. When I finally got out, I wrapped a towel around me and sighed. I sadly left the steamy room. In that bathroom, I could hide behind the steam. Even the mirror was so foggy that I couldn’t see my own reflection. I could even hide from myself in there. When I stepped out of the bathroom, everything was so sharp and clear. There was no place to hide.

I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. I smiled when I recognized all the food that Liam and I had bought together at the supermarket yesterday. I pulled out one of the prepackaged sandwiches and closed the fridge behind me. I sat at the table and started to eat the sandwich as quickly as possible. I was so caught up in eating that I hadn’t noticed Liam had come back. It wasn’t until he was standing a few feet away that I even realized he was there.

I stopped eating, with about two bites of the sandwich left and looked up. I blushed thinking about how crazy I looked. I was sitting in the kitchen of a man that I barely knew. I was eating a sandwich that I took from his fridge without permission when he trusted me enough to leave me alone in his house. My face was covered in mayo and bread crumbs and my jaws were full of stolen sandwich and I’m staring at him in nothing but a towel wrapped around my waist. Yeah, that must look pretty crazy alright.

I stood and swallowed the rest of the sandwich quickly. I wiped the food off of my face. “I’m sorry. I-I was hungry.”

Liam was holding two big bags in his hands. “No worries. All the food in there’s for us anyway.”

Us? What does he mean by us?

He held up the bags. “These are for you Harry. I bought you some clothes. I know you only have one outfit. From that, it was pretty hard to guess your style, but I tried.”

My face got hotter. “You bought me clothes?”

Liam nodded. “Yup. I got you some shirts and jeans and even a new black hoodie. Here try them on.”

I took one of the bags and pulled out a pair of black jeans, a blue shirt, and the hoodie. I tried them on in the bathroom. I can’t believe he even bought me socks and underwear too. The fact that he knew my underwear size felt a little embarrassing, but I was happy to be in new clothes. The last time I had new clothes was when my mother was alive. I put the new black hoodie on and I felt the soft material on my skin.

I appeared from the bathroom and Liam smiled. “The shirt and jeans look like they fit great. Do you like them?”

I nodded.

He laughed. “Good. I can’t have you looking homeless now that you have a home here with me.”

I felt my voice shaking. “A home? I’m staying here with you?”

Liam smiled. “You don’t have to sleep outside. You have a safe place here for as long as you like.”                

I shook my head. “I can’t. I don’t deserve your help. I’m… I’m…”

He put his hand on my shoulder. “You don’t have to be embarrassed to ask for help, son.”

I felt the tears sliding down my face. “No. People like me don’t… I can’t…  I’m not worth it. I’m just a stupid, worthless, nothing, Liam. My own father doesn’t love me. If you and Lou hadn’t come over my house I think he would have just kept beating me. I don’t think he would have stopped until…” I was crying too much to continue.

Liam’s hand was shaking on my shoulder. “Harry, please don’t say that. You aren’t stupid or worthless.”

I looked up at him with defeated eyes. “I am Liam. I have been my whole life. I’m nothing but a worthless, piece of trash. I’ll never amount to anything. You shouldn’t waste your time with me.”

Liam bit his lip. It’s always upsetting to see adults cry, but Liam was such a well-dressed, polished man. I never thought he cried, ever. Well maybe I could imagine him crying at a funeral or the loss of someone important, but people like him don’t cry over people like me.

He hung his head down. I could tell by the way his shoulders were shaking and by the way he was sniffing that he was crying. He kept his head down and his face hidden from me. I didn’t mean to upset him. I’m just so stupid. This man was being nicer than anyone in my entire life had ever been and I made him cry.

Liam wiped his eyes and looked up at me. His eyes were still red and puffy. His voiced cracked as he spoke. “You’re not worthless to me Harry.”

As the tears that he tried to hide from me before reappeared and started to roll down his cheeks, I felt a weight starting to lift from my shoulders. I blinked away tears of my own. “If you don’t think I’m worthless than… than maybe I’m not.”

Liam nodded. “You’re worth a lot to me.”

He hugged me and for the first time in my life I felt like I deserved the hug. I hugged Liam back and closed my eyes. Being surrounded by the warm arms of Liam made me realize that I finally had a home. My home was with him. In that warm embrace I never had to worry about the cold streets again. I would be safe, and happy, and never hungry again. I had Liam and Louis and Zayn and Niall and they cared about me. I had the friends and family that my father said I would never have.

And I’m worth it.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter 15 will be posted on Monday.


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter.

**Niall POV**

It’s been a few weeks since Harry moved in with Mr. Payne. The school allowed Harry to stay as long as he didn’t have Mr. Payne as a teacher. Mr. Payne also allowed us to call him Liam when we came over to hang at his house with Harry, but insisted we call him Mr. Payne at school.

Harry told us all about his time as a homeless person. He told us about sleeping under the bridge and how he had to eat food from the dumpster. His stories were really hard to listen to sometimes, but as his friends we all listened and we tried to make him feel as normal as possible.

Harry also insisted on getting a part-time job so that he could contribute to paying rent. He got a job at the library and he was as happy as I had ever seen him.

Louis was doing well too. He had insisted we support Harry’s new job by going to visit him at work. I knew it was just a chance for Louis to flirt with him, but I had gone along with it anyway. We had decided to go to one of the library puppet shows and bring his sisters along. Everything went well until one of his sisters recognized that the boy puppet had Harry’s voice. She caused such a commotion that we had to take her out of the library. Zayn stayed and watched the rest of the show with Louis’ other sisters, but it was still quite a crazy day.

Zayn had spent these last few weekends working with his father at the organic market. Even though he would still complain on Skype with me, I think he was starting to get more comfortable with it. I would never tell him that. I just sat back and listened to him complain.

When he wasn’t complaining he was so adorable. He would fill my email inbox with pictures that he drew and love letters that he wrote. We still haven’t gone public with our relationship yet, but in private I was definitely starting to have deeper feelings for him. I’m starting to fall in love with him.

We were all sitting in the cafeteria and we were eating our pizza lunch.

Louis looked at me. “Pizza is supposed to be round, but school pizza is always square.”

I laughed. “They’ve been serving pizza every Friday since kindergarten and you just realized this now?”

Louis shrugged. “I’ve noticed it before, but it never bothered me until now.”

Harry smiled. “You can cut the edges off and make it more round.”

Louis put his arm around Harry. “My Haz, always the problem solver.”

Zayn rolled his eyes. “If only you had real problems instead of square pizza problems.”

We all laughed and I started to think. It’s so nice that we all are really close now. None of this would have happened if Harry wasn’t honest about his secret. Maybe I should be honest too.

I stood up. I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Attention everyone. I have an announcement.”

The cafeteria fell silent. I smiled. “For everyone that doesn’t know me, my name is Niall Horan. I’ve been keeping a secret for a long time and I think it’s time that I tell everyone.”

I looked at Zayn, who was trying to angle himself behind Louis, so he would be hidden from view. For someone as shy as him I know calling the attention of the entire cafeteria was a lot, but most of the attention was focused on me anyway.

Zayn whispered. “What are you doing? You better not do what I think you’re about to do.”

I smiled and addressed the cafeteria again. “I want to tell everyone about the love of my life.”

Zayn hissed. “Don’t do this please.”

I reached down and picked up my backpack and took out my guitar. I strapped it around me and smiled. “The love of my life is music. I love playing love songs on my guitar and I’m not ashamed to say it.”

I started to strum one of my songs on the guitar. The cafeteria filled with cheers and a few boos as I played my self-written love song. People started to clap along and I smiled cheekily at Zayn. The room was filled with a great feeling until one of the lunch aides approached the table and crossed her arms across her chest. “Playing the guitar in the cafeteria counts as disruptive behavior. I’m sending this whole table to the principal.”

The other students collectively booed as Zayn, Louis, Harry, and I were led out of the lunchroom and to the principal.

Louis nudged me. “Thanks Niall. Way to take us all down with you.”

We were led to an empty classroom and we sat there waiting for the principal.

I smiled. “This reminds me of how we first met.”

Harry laughed. “Yeah, when we all got bus detention because Louis elbowed me in the face.”

We all laughed.

When the principal arrived we all received detention. Our parents were mad, especially Liam, but we took our punishment and didn’t complain. This wasn’t the last time that my friends and I got in trouble. It’s not even the last time that we got in trouble for something that was completely dumb and avoidable, but that’s what we do. We stick together and do dumb things, because that’s what friends do. These are my mates, and they will be for life. As Harry once said ‘I’d do anything for you guys cuz you’re all worth it.’ And he’s right. When you get into trouble with your best mates it’s always worth it.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I can't believe the story is over. A huge thank you to everyone who give kudos, bookmarks, and comments. You really helped me to feel inspired and happy to complete and edit this. Thanks so much for all the support! There are no plans for a sequel, but I do plan to write more AU One Direction stories in the future. Again thank you so much and feel free to comment or really ask me anything :D


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